Serie A Matchday 20 Betting Preview: Udinese vs Atalanta | OneFootball

Saturday’s Serie A action gets underway at the Bluenergy Stadium as mid-table Udinese entertain Scudetto hopefuls Atalanta. Though 16 points separate the teams ahead of the kick-off, the Friulians can be a thorn in Atalanta’s side.

Despite La Dea‘s come-from-behind 2-1 win in November’s reverse fixture in Bergamo, guessing the outcome would be equal to entering a Casino for a roulette tour. Indeed, Udinese had held Atalanta to three consecutive draws before losing the last two matches away from home.

Recent meetings in Udine have been frustrating for Gian Piero Gasperini’s charges, as they’ve drawn three of their last four on this ground (W1). Meanwhile, connoisseurs of action-packed football will hope Udinese and Atalanta can find the net for a tenth successive league encounter here.

Goal Fest

Despite beating Atalanta just once in nine top-flight duels on home turf since 2016 (D4, L3), fans in attendance have often been in for a treat. Interestingly, six of those nine games have featured over 2.5 goals and both teams on the scoresheet, highlighting the potential for a high-scoring contest.

Adding to this sentiment, Udinese’s last two home league outings against Torino and Napoli have produced precisely four goals, though Kosta Runjaic’s side only bagged one point (D1, L1). Defensive woes have been Udinese’s Achilles heel, as they’ve conceded 2+ goals in all four home league matches since the start of November (D1, L3).

Given Atalanta’s intimidating scoring record in Serie A this season, another emphatic scoreline is a distinct possibility. Only defending champions Inter (45) have netted more goals than Atalanta’s 43, yet only 42% came on the road (18). But this is a presentable opportunity to add to that tally.

Over 2.5 goals

Redemption Mission

Atalanta failed to impress in their Supercoppa Italiana debut last week, losing 2-0 to the Nerazzurri in their semi-final tie in Riyadh. Needless to say, it was a rare scoring blank for La Dea. It marked the first time they failed to find the net since their goalless Champions League draw against Celtic in October.

However, before that defeat, Atalanta had enjoyed a sterling 14-match unbeaten streak in domestic football (W12, D2). At the risk of losing back-to-back matches for the first time since August, Gasperini’s men will turn to their formidable 14-game undefeated top-flight run against Udinese for inspiration (W9, D5).

Avoiding defeat would see Atalanta equal the club’s longest-ever unbeaten streak against specific opposition in top-flight action. That’s a distinct possibility when factoring in the visitors’ superb record of five wins from their last six Serie A matches on the road (D1). As if that’s not optimistic enough, they kept four clean sheets in that sequence.

Nigerian Scoring Machine

It’s been another remarkable season for Ademola Lookman. The 27-year-old forward has tallied 12 goals and six assists across 22 competitive appearances in 2024/25, even though wild transfer rumors derailed his morale at the start of the campaign.

Yet, Lookman hasn’t scored outside Bergamo since November. Therefore, he’ll have an added motive on Saturday. He’s also no stranger to Udine. Indeed, he opened the scoring in his first-ever outing at this stadium in October 2022.

After Gasperini unfathomably benched him against Inter, Lookman should return to the starting line-up this weekend. With Udinese terminally unable to keep a clean sheet, he seems like good value to be among the goalscorers.