Serie A: Scorching Atalanta Looking to Set Naples on Fire

Napoli vs Atalanta

The Serie A match between Napoli and Atalanta is certainly a must-watch since it’ll feature two of the more prolific sides in Italian top-flight.

With 64 goals combined so far this 2021/2022 season, football fans are bound to see plenty Serie A 2021 highlights from these two when they’ll meet at the Diego Maradona Stadium this weekend.

After the first 15 rounds, Napoli remain on top of the table with 36 points while Atalanta are at fourth with 31. However, Napoli’s advantage over the others isn’t that wide anymore compared to the start of the season since the other contenders are breathing down their necks.

As we’re slowly approaching the halfway mark of the campaign, grabbing as much points as they can is going to be the main objective for these two teams since the title race appears to be wide open.

The title credentials of Napoli and Atalanta are about to be tested here. And as we look forward to another cracker, allow SBOTOP to give you a preview on what to expect this Saturday evening.

Talking Points

Injury headaches for Napoli

Serie A: Kalidou Koulibaly will miss the next 5-6 weeks with a thigh injury — Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly is expected to be out of action for at least a month due to an injury.

After suffering defeats to Inter and Spartak Moscow in the Europa League, Napoli bounced back by crushing Lazio with a 4-0 scoreline. However, they were held to a 2-2 draw against 12^th-placed Sassuolo.

Napoli would have to navigate through another grueling week after bouncing back from a bad week as their injury list has piled up.

Centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly is sidelined until next year after suffering a hamstring injury against Sassuolo, while Fabian Ruiz and Lorenzo Insigne are considered game-time decisions due to minor knocks picked up in the same game.

Victor Osimhen – who has emerged as their star striker earlier this season – is still on the mend following his gruesome facial injury that he picked up in their defeat away to Inter, so Dries Mertens will continue to start in his place.

I Partenopei need to tighten up on the defencive end in order to further improve their Scudetto chances.

Their resolute backline has been one of their main success ingredients earlier this season, but they’ve only recorded a single clean sheet from their last six matches in all competitions.

Serie A

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Atalanta are back to their dangerous scoring ways

Atalanta have extended Gian Piero Gasperini’s coaching contract until June 2024, which is the right thing to do given what he’s done to the organization so far.

The 63-year-old has turned La Dea into a high-tempo attacking machine, making them perennial Scudetto contenders in recent seasons.

In stark contrast to Napoli’s bad week, Atalanta experienced the opposite since they’ve beaten Juventus and Venezia with a combined tally of 5-0.

Top scorer Duvan Zapata – who has 11 goals and six assists – scored the match-winner against Juve, while second-leading scorer Mario Pasalic spearheaded their thrashing of Venezia with his hat-trick.

Unlike Napoli, Atalanta are the healthier squad and Gasperini should maintain the same look this weekend.

A win here will cut their gap to the top and cement their top-four position, and it’ll also break the Scudetto race wide open especially if Milan and Inter drop points in their upcoming matches.

History

The recent head-to-heads between Napoli and Atalanta are indicative of what to expect this Saturday.

In their last 35 meetings against each other, I Partenopei have the slight advantage with 13 wins, whereas La Dea have won 12 times along with 10 stalemates.

Their most recent meeting took place in February where we’ve been treated to a six-goal affair.

Atalanta came away with a 4-2 victory as Duvan Zapata, Robin Gosens, Luis Muriel, and Cristian Romero provided La Dea’s goals while Napoli benefitted from Robin Gosens’ own goal and a score from Piotr Zielinski.

Betting Tip

	Napoli vs Atalanta	Over 2.50 @ 2.89
	December 05, 03:45 (GMT+8)

We expect a tight affair this weekend and the updated Serie A 2021 odds certainly agree. Napoli have the slight edge at 2.47, while Atalanta are priced at 2.77 and a draw is possible at 3.30 in the 1×2 market.

Something has to give when these two sides collide. And on paper, both are definitely oozing quality in all areas of the pitch.

Napoli may be dealing with key absences but their home form has been solid for a reason. However, Atalanta’s away record is equally as good, and it’s something that is hard to discount.

Both sides are bound to produce goals at a healthy amount – making Over 2.50 @ 2.89 a viable bet. And we also wouldn’t be surprised if this fixture ends up in a draw.