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

Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini faces his old club, Atalanta, at the Stadio Olimpico this weekend as both teams look to maintain perfect Serie A starts. These are two of only six teams to have opened the 2026/27 campaign with consecutive wins, setting the stage for an enthralling showdown on Saturday evening.

It’s been a brilliant start to Gasperini’s second season at Roma. After a 4-0 rout of Fiorentina on the opening Serie A weekend, the Giallorossi thrashed Lecce by that exact scoreline on Monday, perhaps suggesting they could be fighting for their first Scudetto since 2001 this term.

Donyell Malen has been stacking his highlight reel in the early stages of the season. In addition to netting a hat-trick against Fiorentina, the Dutch forward scored a quick-fire first-half brace at Stadio Via del Mare, taking his tally to five goals already. On that basis, Atalanta’s hopes of upsetting their former manager may rest on stopping Malen from adding to his remarkable goalscoring run.

La Dea might be on a par with Roma in terms of points heading into this round, yet their victories over Sassuolo and, especially, Bologna were far from convincing. Maurizio Sarri’s charges squeezed past the Neroverdi 2-1 at home on matchday one, while they needed a 96th-minute screamer from Lazar Samardzic to topple the Rossoblu on Monday.

In doing so, Samardzic scored Atalanta’s latest Serie A winner since 2014. However, it will take a far better performance from the visitors to beat this high-flying Roma side.

Match Preview

Roma

To put Roma’s scintillating Serie A start in perspective, they have become just the third side ever to open a Serie A season with at least eight goals scored and none conceded across their opening two matches. Furthermore, the hosts are currently on a seven-game winning league streak, a feat they’ve managed just twice in the last ten years.

Extending that admirable record with another victory would see Roma win their opening two home matches of a Serie A season for the first time since 2022/23. Few would bet against the Giallorossi here, even though they’ve been notoriously struggling against Atalanta in recent years. Indeed, they’re without a win in this fixture since March 2022.

Motivation to put that woeful eight-game winless run to bed (D2, L6) could be all the greater with Gasperini now standing on the opposite touchline. Still, it’s worth noting that Roma have only won once in their last 12 home meetings with Atalanta in Serie A (D6, L5), highlighting the magnitude of the task awaiting the table-toppers this weekend.

Atalanta

Based on Atalanta’s recent record against Roma, this may look like a favorable clash for the Bergamo outfit. As such, Sarri should approach this fixture with cautious optimism after becoming the first La Dea boss since 1949 to win his first two Serie A games in charge, especially with another flattering feat up for the taking.

Atalanta could start a new Serie A season with three successive victories for the first time since 2020/21. That’s far from a foregone conclusion, though, particularly given their poor away form. La Dea have emerged victorious from just one of their last four league trips (D2, L1), failing to keep a clean sheet on each occasion.

However, the fact that they’ve not lost their opening league outing on the road since 2017/18 offers them a silver lining. Further confidence could stem from their newfound defensive stability. Sarri’s men have registered a shutout in three of their four competitive games this term, meaning they may have what it takes to contain Malen here.

Team News

Apart from Lorenzo Pellegrini, who signed a new contract in the summer, Gasperini should have the rest of his Roma squad fit and ready for this encounter. There are some question marks hanging over the heads of Devyne Rensch and Evan Ndicka, with Daniele Ghilardi expected to take the latter’s place in defense, as he did against both Fiorentina and Lecce.

On the other hand, Atalanta will be without their defensive cornerstone, Isak Hien, whose place should be occupied by Odilon Kossounou. Kamaldeen Sulemana is also on the sidelines, while Thomas Kristensen remains a doubt. Either way, Sarri is unlikely to change the starting lineup that edged Bologna by the skin of their teeth last time out.

Roma vs Atalanta Potential Starting Lineups

Roma (3-4-2-1): Svilar; Mancini, Ghilardi, Mario Hermoso; Nahuel Molina, Cristante, Kone, Wesley; Matias Soule, Dybala; Malen.

Atalanta (4-3-3): Carnesecchi; Zappacosta, Kossounou, Scalvini, Kolasinac; Pasalic, Gaetano, Ederson; De Ketelaere, Scamacca, Raspadori.

Roma vs Atalanta Prediction

With Roma firing on all cylinders and boasting an all-important home advantage, expecting Gasperini’s side to end their frustrating drought in this fixture makes perfect sense. Yet, Atalanta are no idle threat and will not go down without a fight. Therefore, we back the hosts to grind out a narrow win.