Atalanta will look to return to winning ways when they hit the road to square up against top-four contender Fiorentina at Stadio Franchi on Sunday.
Atalanta’s pursuit of their maiden league title suffered a massive blow in their last outing as they lost to league leaders Inter Milan. La Dea will be eager to get things back on track when they square up against Fiorentina, who are pushing for a top-four finish and slayed one of their competitors in their last outing.
The home team are currently eighth on the table with 48 points in their 29 outings. Fiorentina are five points behind fourth-placed Bologna, and they have just nine games to turn things around.
Three defeats in their last five league games have derailed La Viola, but they did smash Juventus 3-0 in their last outing prior to the break, which has boosted their chances. On the other hand, the visitors sit third in the table with 58 points from 29 matches, trailing league leaders Inter Milan by six points. Only a miracle can now keep their hopes of a first-ever league title alive.
Atalanta had the chance to go level on points with Inter in their last outing. The defeat not only extended Inter’s lead to six points but also all but ended their title ambitions. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Fiorentina
Fiorentina will be without the services of Andrea Colpani. But apart from the Italian midfielder, Fiorentina have a fully fit squad to choose from as they do not have any fresh injury concerns ahead of visit of Atalanta.
The home team will line up in a 3-5-2 formation, where David de Gea will take charge in goal. Marin Pongracic will continue to feature in the heart of the defence alongside Pablo Mari, and Luca Ranieri.
Dodo and Robin Gosens will be the wing-backs, while Danilo Cataldi will partner with Rolando Mandragora and Nicolo Fagioli in the centre of the park. The trio will look to ensure they do not allow Atalanta midfielders to dominate the proceedings. Finally, Moise Kean should partner with Albert Gudmundsson as the strikers. The 27-year-old will drop into spaces and try to link up with the midfielders.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): de Gea; Pongracic, Mari, Ranieri; Dodo, Mandragora, Cataldi, Fagioli, Gosens; Gudmundsson, Kean
Atalanta
The visitors will be without quite a few key first-team players. Mateo Retegui, Gianluca Scamacca, Odilon Kossounou, Giorgio Scalvini, and Stefan Posch are all out injured. Meanwhile, Ederson is suspended following his red card last time out.
Atalanta will stick to the 3-4-2-1 formation, where Marco Carnesecchi will be in goal. The back three should be made up of Berat Djimsiti, Isak Hien and Sead Kolasinac. They will receive significant support from Raoul Bellanova and Davide Zappacosta who should continue at the wing-backs.
In the centre of the park, Marten De Roon will partner with Mario Pasalic. They will look to control the tempo of the game. Ademola Lookman and Marco Brescianini should be the two attacking midfielders behind Charles De Ketelaere.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Bellanova, De Roon, Pasalic, Zappacosta; Brescianini, Lookman; De Ketelaere
Key Stats
- The last three league meetings between Fiorentina and Atalanta have each produced five goals, with La Viola winning twice by a 3-2 scoreline, while La Dea claimed one victory.
- Prior to their defeat at the hands of league leaders Inter Milan, Atalanta had kept five clean sheets in a row in the Serie A.
- La Dea are yet to win consecutive league games in 2025.
- After a run of three straight defeats in Serie A, Fiorentina have won two out of their last three league games.
Player to Watch
Ademola Lookman
While Lookman could leave Atalanta in the summer amidst interest from some of the biggest clubs, he remains a key figure in the team in the ongoing campaign. The Nigerian international has 25 goal contributions in his 32 outings. 18 of those contributions have come in the Serie A. He will be eager to add to his tally when he takes the field against Fiorentina.
Prediction
Fiorentina 1-3 Atalanta
Fiorentina enter this fixture on the back of a statement win over Juventus, and they will be confident of securing a result against the third-placed side. However, it won’t be straightforward, despite Atalanta;s heavy defeat to Inter Milan last time out. La Dea have had a long break to regroup and, given their overall form, will be eager to get back to winning ways. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for the visitors.
