Serie A: Roma and Atalanta Jostle for Position

AS Roma vs Atalanta

Seventh faces sixth in a Serie A blockbuster in the capital city on Sunday, as Roma meet Atalanta for the first time this campaign.

La Dea come into the match on an impressive run of form, beating Sassuolo in the Coppa Italia Round of 16, while Roma booked their place in the last eight thanks to a win over Cremonese.

But while Atalanta signed off the last year with a league win over Lecce, I Giallorossi had a mixed set of results and lost 1-0 to Juventus last time out.

Those two results allowed Atalanta to leapfrog Roma into sixth place in the league table, and just a single point separates the two teams with Napoli behind Roma on goal difference alone.

Meanwhile, city rivals Lazio are improving rapidly and are a single point further back. It’s getting really congested in the race for a top four place, and a win for either team at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday would be a huge boost for their Champions League aspirations.

Jose Mourinho and Gian Piero Gasperini are celebrated managers in Italy but for different reasons.

The self-proclaimed Special One is a serial trophy winner and has won league titles in Portugal, England, Spain, and in Italy with Inter Milan. Meanwhile, Gasperini is nowhere near as decorated as his opponent, but he is certainly a legend in Bergamo, where he has managed Atalanta since 2016 and, in that time, made them a European force renowned for fast-flowing attacking football.

Mourinho has always been something of a pragmatist over the years, so we should see a clash of styles in this fascinating tussle.        

The latest Serie A 2024 betting odds make these two teams the sixth and seventh favourites to win the title. But the prices are big and the realistic expectation is to win European football, and their chances will become a little clearer when they come face-to-face on Sunday.

Talking Points

Lukaku’s revival at Roma

He’s been a prolific striker in Serie A, helping Inter Milan to win the Scudetto in 2021, but the next couple of seasons didn’t quite go to plan for Belgian hitman Romelu Lukaku.

He went back to Chelsea where he struggled for form and game time, and Lukaku was eventually rescued by his former boss who he worked with at Manchester United.

At Roma, Lukaku seems to have got his mojo back and he is leading the line with his trademark aggression while top scoring with eight goals for the season. 

He also bagged one in the cup win over Cremonese, as did Paulo Dybala, who is expected to start alongside him against Atalanta. And Mourinho is also waiting on the Serie A 2024 updates on the fitness of his other forward, Tammy Abraham.

Roma’s Christmas date with Napoli was a chance for them to show their top for credentials, and they did so impressively. This time, skipper Lorenzo Pellegrini scored the opener before Lukaku grabbed a late second.

Former Atalanta stars Gianluca Mancini and Bryan Cristante are set to feature against their old mates.  

Free-scoring Atalanta

Gasperini’s ability to coach attacking football has not diminished as strikers and creative players have moved on, and his latest crop of forwards are showing what they can do, scoring 15 goals in the last six games.

Atalanta met top four chasing Bologna before the Christmas break, and a 1-0 reversal was the only defeat suffered by La Dea in those six games in all competitions. 

Ademola Lookman is top scoring in the league with seven goals, and he forms the spearhead of a unit which contains AC Milan loanee Charles De Ketelaere and Netherlands forward Teun Koopmeiners.

Behind these attacking players sit defencive midfielders Marten De Roon and Ederson, and the midfield battle is one Gasperini will try to win as Mourinho is bound to set up a solid formation.

Striker El Bilal Toure is out with injury, while Atalanta will assess defenders Rafael Toloi and Jose Luis Palomino before Sunday.    

History

With 24 victories to 16, Roma have had the better of the head-to-head encounters over the past three decades, though last season, Atalanta did the double in this fixture, winning 3-1 in Bergamo and 1-0 in Rome. 

Roma finished sixth last season, while La Dea were a place higher in fifth.    

La Dea’s recent form has been impressive with five wins ad a single loss over the past six games, while I Giallorossi have won three, drawn one, and lost two.

However, Roma are strong at home with six wins, two draws, and one defeat this season.

Betting Tip

Roma are at SBOTOP odds of 2.34 to win this six-pointer with Atalanta at 2.78, and it’s a game which could go either way.

Gasperini will attack and Mourinho will be determined to fashion a home win, so they might well cancel each other out. And for a correct scoreline, a 1-1 draw is priced at 5.60.  

 

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