Serie A: Atalanta Eyeing the Top Spot

Atalanta vs Fiorentina

When Atalanta welcome Fiorentina on Sunday, there will be a big sense of anticipation in Bergamo as La Dea may well have a chance of rising to the top of the Serie A table. 

Leaders Napoli have a game at home to Torino on Saturday, and should the Azzurri slip up, then the door will be open for Gian Piero Gasperini’s team, who are level on points and adrift on goal difference alone

So all eyes will be on Atalanta vs Fiorentina for our Sunday entertainment.   

Vincenzo Italiano’s Fiorentina currently sit in 10th place but will be hoping to match or better last season’s seventh place finish, so this will be another good test of La Dea’s Scudetto aspirations.

Both teams went into the international break with a win as Atalanta overcame a top four rival in Roma, winning 1-0 at the Stadio Olimpico, while Fiorentina earned a welcome 2-0 victory at home to Hellas Verona. 

Talking Points

Evolution at Atalanta

La Dea can be backed at SBOTOP odds of 9.80 to win the 2022/23 Scudetto and the way the Serie A league table looks after seven games, you can see why Atalanta are now in single figures.

Gasperini’s side has been lauded for a number of years for their attacking style of football spearheaded by the Colombian duo of Luis Muriel and Duvan Zapata. But both are now in their 30s and need to be handled carefully with Zapata currently sidelined with injury.

So the boss is remoulding his team with a blend of youth and experience. 24-year-old Dutch midfielder Teun Koopmeiners has scored four goals already and former Fulham winger Ademola Lookman has looked lively on his introduction to Serie A football.

Captained by defender Rafael Toloi and with the experienced Marten de Roon in midfield, the team has a strong backbone, allowing players like Koopmeiners and Ruslan Malinovskyi to express themselves and create Serie A 2022 highlights.

Malinovskyi has become a key player in an advanced midfield role and possesses a powerful shot with either foot. But reports have emerged that he may be on his way to the Premier League in the winter with West Ham, Spurs, and Nottingham Forest all tracking the player.

The evolution at Atalanta continues but the disruption is minimal.  

Milenkovic nearing fitness for Fiorentina

The visitors know what to expect for Atalanta, who are an attacking threat from the off, and they have received a boost with the news that Serbian centre-back Nikola Milenkovic is back in training with a fighting chance of making the big game on Sunday.

He has been out for the last four games after picking up a muscle strain in the Viola’s 1-1 draw with Juventus.

Fiorentina are a better team with the 24-year-old in the back four, conceding just four goals in the five matches in which Milenkovic featured and this could be big news for the visitors.

At the other end of the pitch, Italiano is hoping striker Luka Jovic ups his scoring tally. He is one of a number of players on one goal with no Fiorentina player yet to hit two.

Fellow strikers Christian Kouame and Nicolas Gonzales have scored one each while midfielders Giacomo Bonaventura and Jonathan Ikone have both been on target, while Ricardo Sottil has made two assists.

And Milenkovic is good for a goal as he’s scored 17 in his five seasons with Fiorentina.

History

La Viola has certainly had the better of the head-to-heads since 1995, winning 22 of the 49 encounters, while Atalanta have won 10 and there have been 17 draws.

Fiorentina won all three meetings last year – 1-0 in Florence after winning 2-1 in Bergamo in the league, and they also put La Dea out of the Coppa Italia at the quarter-final stage by emerging victorious from a five-goal thriller as  Milenkovic scored La Viola’s dramatic injury-time winner. 

Recent form favours the hosts who have won four and drawn two of the last six, while the visitors have won one, drawn two, and lost three.

Atalanta are unbeaten at home with one win and two draws while Fiorentina are yet to win away with one draw and two defeats on the road.

Betting Tip

The Serie A 2022 betting odds are pointing to a home win but, with the draw at 3.30 and Fiorentina at 3.49, all three results are nicely in play here.

That said, I expect Atalanta to come through in front of their Bergamo fans.   Viola supporters can support their team with a double chance, Fiorentina or Draw at a price of 1.73. And for an alternative bet, Over 2.50 goals between two teams which like to play on the front foot can be backed at 1.92.   

 

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