Atalanta will look to bounce back from midweek European frustration when they host struggling Hellas Verona in Serie A action on Saturday evening at the Gewiss Stadium.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta side come into this match sitting 6th in the Serie A table with 13 points from 8 matches. They are unbeaten in their last 5 games across all competitions, though their momentum was slightly halted by a 0-0 draw at home to Celtic in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Prior to that, Atalanta had won three straight matches, including back-to-back Serie A victories over Venezia and Monza. Their attack has been firing on all cylinders in league play, with a Serie A-best 18 goals scored through 8 matches.
Hellas Verona, meanwhile, are struggling near the bottom of the table in 13th place with just 9 points. They were thrashed 3-0 at home by Monza last weekend, their 4th defeat in their last 5 Serie A matches. New manager Paolo Zanetti is still searching for consistency, as Verona have alternated between wins and losses in their last 6 league games.
Atalanta have dominated this fixture in recent years, winning 3 of the last 4 Serie A meetings between the sides. Even more impressively, Atalanta are unbeaten in their last 19 home league matches against Verona, with 18 wins and 1 draw in that span.
However, Verona did manage to earn a 2-2 draw in the most recent meeting back in April. They’ve also won 2 of their last 4 away matches at Atalanta, as many wins as they managed in their previous 20 visits.
Team News
Gasperini continues to deal with several injury absences, including defenders Rafael Toloi and Giorgio Scalvini, midfielder Marco Brescianini, and forwards Gianluca Scamacca and Odilon Kossounou.
After rotating for the midweek Champions League match, Gasperini is likely to recall several regular starters. Charles De Ketelaere and Matteo Ruggeri are among those who could return to the starting XI.
Star striker Mateo Retegui will be keen to keep his place after scoring in back-to-back Serie A matches. One more goal would make him just the second Italian player this century to score 9 goals in his first 9 Serie A appearances for a club.
The visitors will be without suspended midfielder Ondrej Duda, while defenders Martin Frese and Pawel Dawidowicz remain sidelined through injury. Midfielders Abdou Harroui and Juan Cruz are also still unavailable.
Winger Darko Lazovic will be one to watch for Verona, having scored on both of his last two visits to Bergamo. Since joining Verona in 2019, Lazovic has been involved in 46 Serie A goals—at least 10 more than any teammate in that span.
Expected Starting XIs
Atalanta: Carnesecchi; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Zappacosta, Ederson, De Roon, Ruggeri; De Ketelaere, Lookman; Retegui
Verona: Montipo; Tchatchoua, Ghilardi, Magnani, Bradaric; Serdar, Belahyane; Suslov, Tengstedt, Lazovic; Mosquera
Match Prediction
While Verona have shown they can be dangerous on their day, Atalanta’s home form and attacking firepower should be too much for the struggling visitors. Expect the hosts to get back to winning ways with a comfortable victory.
Prediction: Atalanta 3-1 Hellas Verona
