Serie A: Take Off Time for La Dea or La Viola?

Atalanta vs Fiorentina

Atalanta and Fiorentina come face-to-face in Bergamo on Sunday and, at the end of the first international break, both need to get their seasons started.

The two teams are locked together on three points from three games and sit in 11^th and 12^th in the Serie A table. And that is certainly where neither expects to end up.

Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta finished fourth last season and have a tasty Champions League clash against Arsenal coming up next week, while Fiorentina have appointed a new boss, Raffaele Palladino, and his aim is to improve on last season’s eighth-place finish.

It’s going to be an entertaining clash at the Gewiss Stadium and a chance for these two aspiring teams to get their season going, but which one will succeed?

I’ll give you my SBOTOP pick soon, but first, a quick look at the Serie A 2024 news relating to both Atalanta and Fiorentina.

Talking Points

Time for Lookman to return?

After scoring a hat-trick to help La Dea win the Europa League last season and receiving a nomination for the 2024 Ballon d’Or, Ademola Lookman is one of the hottest properties in European football, but he is yet to feature in the league this season.

Ademola Lookman might be in the squad for the upcoming Serie A match against the Fiorentina — Ademola Lookman in action during their Super Cup match against Real Madrid

Lookman has been nursing a shoulder injury but came through Nigeria’s games this week and was on the bench for Atalanta’s final game before the international break.

Summer recruits Mateo Retegui and Marco Brescianini have deputised and started well, bagging a brace each in Atalanta’s thumping 4-0 away win over Lecce in the season opener.

Retegui scored again when La Dea headed off to Turin, but Gasperini’s side lost 2-1 to Torino and things quickly got worse the following week.

A trip away to Inter Milan, the reigning champions and, according to the early Serie A 2024 betting odds favourites again this year, went catastrophically wrong as Atalanta took a 4-0 whacking. In fairness, Gasperini’s men put up a decent fight, with 45-per cent possession and 11 shots to I Nerazzurri’s 13. But with only one on target, they need more firepower.

Two weeks off will have done La Dea the world of good, and their season starts here. And though there will be no sign of Gianluca Scammaca, who will be sidelined for some time, this could the chance for Lookman to make his first start and get back on the scoring trail.

Palladino is making his mark at Fiorentina

After two successful years as head coach of Monza, Raffaele Palladino has taken a step up to manage one of Italy’s consistently top sides and frequent qualifiers for Europe.

The 40-year-old did a superb job at Monza after replacing the sacked Giovanni Stroppa in September 2022. He led the team, favourites for relegation, to an 11^th-place finish and safety with six games left to play after guiding Monza to their first ever Serie A win, a 1-0 victory over Juventus no less.

Last season, he earned a 12^th-place finish, and that was enough for La Viola to knock on Palladino’s door, and he accepted a contract on a two-year deal.

So far the new manager has made a very steady start, unbeaten in his five games, though he is yet to win one in normal time.

Last time out, La Viola drew 2-2 with Palladino’s old mates at Monza thanks to goals from Moise Kean and Robin Gosens, who grabbed a 96^th minute leveller.

He has inherited a strong squad led by Azzurri star Cristiano Biraghi, and with the exciting Jonathan Ikone in attack, I expect Fiorentina to be in the European mix again this season.

History

La Viola have bossed the head-to-head meetings with Atalanta, winning 25 to 12 of the last 55 games with 18 draws in the mix.

Last season, Gasperini’s side beat Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia semi-final before La Viola extracted some revenge in a five-goal thriller in Bergamo.

With one win from their opening three games and back-to-back losses, La Dea is in need of a boost, while La Viola have been consistently hard to beat, drawing all three of their league games and winning their Europa Conference play-off over two legs and eventually on penalties.

Fiorentina are unbeaten in eight games, but I suspect that run is about to end.