Serie A Preview: Atalanta vs Napoli – Team News, Lineups & Prediction | OneFootball

Atalanta’s European ambitions will be on the line when they take on defending Serie A champions Napoli at the Gewiss Stadium today. Eight points separate the sides ahead of kick-off, with the hosts sitting five adrift of fourth-placed Roma.

Raffaele Palladino’s men have recently hit a purple patch, winning three of their last four league matches (D1), including a crucial 2-0 victory at Lazio a week ago. In doing so, La Dea have rekindled their hopes of securing a third consecutive top-four finish despite an underwhelming start to life without long-serving boss Gian Piero Gasperini.

However, Atalanta’s spirits took a hit in midweek UEFA Champions League action, as Borussia Dortmund beat them 2-0 at Signal Iduna Park in the first leg of their knockout playoff tie. Nevertheless, a return to Serie A action can inspire confidence in Palladino’s camp, with the Bergamo outfit emerging victorious from six of their last eight league games (D2).

On the other hand, Napoli ground out a 2-2 draw in last Sunday’s Derby del Sole against arch-rivals Roma, with Brazilian youngster Alisson Santos scoring on his Serie A debut to help his side avoid defeat. Despite going unbeaten in their last three league games (W2, D1), Napoli’s title hopes are dead in the water, as they already trail table-topping Inter by a whopping 14 points.

Antonio Conte’s main assignment right now is to secure Champions League qualification. Even that’s far from a foregone conclusion, given that fifth-placed Juventus sit only four points behind the Partenopei.

Match Preview

Atalanta

Beating direct top-four rivals would significantly bolster Atalanta’s quest to lock down Champions League qualification, and the Gewiss Stadium could form a perfect backdrop. Indeed, Palladino’s charges have racked up an eye-catching eight wins across their last nine home outings in domestic competition, including five on the trot in the build-up to this showdown.

However, maintaining that imperious run of form would require Palladino to beat Conte for the first time, having lost all three previous managerial clashes against the 56-year-old. That could prove easier said than done, considering Atalanta’s dreadful sequence of six defeats from their last eight meetings with Napoli (W2). It’s also worth noting that those victories came on the road.

On the bright side, Atalanta’s impressive first-half performances have seen them lead at halftime ‘to nil’ in their last six competitive home games across all competitions. With Atalanta failing to win all four home matches in Serie A when falling behind this season, another fast start could be crucial here.

Napoli

If there’s a side capable of matching Atalanta’s standout first-half exploits, it’s Napoli, who bagged 11 first-half goals on the road so far this season, with only Inter (12) scoring more in Serie A. Against this backdrop, Conte’s men have failed to win three of their last four competitive games away from home (D2, L1), including an embarrassing 3-0 loss at fellow top-four rivals Juventus.

Conte will be confident of avoiding another embarrassment here, relying on his outstanding career record against Atalanta (W11, D3, L1). Furthermore, Napoli have won their last four away encounters against La Dea in Serie A, netting at least two goals on each occasion. But it’s worth mentioning that they also failed to keep a clean sheet in any of those meetings.

Napoli must avoid conceding the opening goal if they’re to extend their winning streak in Bergamo. Indeed, they’ve suffered five defeats in seven away league matches when letting in the opener this term (W1, D1), highlighting their vulnerability when forced to chase the game on the road.

Team News

Atalanta cannot count on winter signing Giacomo Raspadori and star forward Charles De Ketelaere. Both are in the pits injured, meaning Palladino is likely to turn to Kamaldeen Sulemana and Nicola Zalewski to fill the void, with out-of-sorts Gianluca Scamacca expected to start from the bench.

Meanwhile, this fixture will come too soon for Napoli’s long-term absentees, Kevin De Bruyne, Amir Rrahmani, and David Neres. Talismanic midfielder Scott McTominay and captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo are also ruled out, with Elif Elmas and Miguez Gutierrez expected to take their places in the starting lineup.

Atalanta vs Napoli Potential Starting Lineups

Atalanta (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi; Scalvini, Hien, Ahanor; Bellanova, Ederson, De Roon, Zappacosta; Sulemana, Zalewski; Krstovic.

Napoli (3-4-2-1): Milinkovic-Savic; Beukema, Jesus, Buongiorno; Gutierrez, Lobotka, Elmas, Spinazzola; Vergara, Alisson; Hojlund.

Atalanta vs Napoli Prediction

Failure is not an option for Atalanta here, but with Raspadori and De Keteleere unavailable for selection, scoring could be an issue for the hosts. Napoli, meanwhile, have shown resilience on their travels and boast the greater cutting edge in the final third, which could prove decisive in what promises to be a tightly contested affair.

With both sides aware of the stakes, expect a cagey encounter, but the visitors may just have enough quality to take three points.