Serie A: Can Roma Send High-Flying Atalanta Down to Earth?

AS Roma vs Atalanta

AS Roma are suddenly on a slump after a decent stretch to kick off 2021. They now have lost three of their last five domestic fixtures which has led to them sliding down in the Serie A standings.

With the season winding down and their European hopes looking bleak, AS Roma would be desperate for a win when they’ll host Atalanta this Thursday at the Stadio Olimpico.

A scheduled game against Atalanta isn’t ideal for the hosts as they try to cure their ills especially if you look at the way the visitors have been playing lately.

La Dea are currently enjoying a five-game winning streak that started since mid-March and they have surged to the third spot with 64 points to virtually seal their Champions League berth next term.

Meanwhile, the Giallorossi are at seventh place with 54 points.

Atalanta have gotten the better of AS Roma in their recent encounters, making them the favourites to win in this contest.

But can the hosts use their advantage at home to snap out of their funk?

Talking Points

AS Roma can’t shake off the injury bug

Since their win over Genoa last March, Paulo Fonseca’s side is having a difficult time in dealing with their domestic matters.

Losses against Parma, Napoli, and Torino have hurt them badly, while they couldn’t close out Sassuolo despite having the lead for much of the second half.

However, the Europa League was a different story as they were able to advance to the semis after dispatching Ajax in the quarterfinals on a 3-2 aggregate.

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Serie A

As they try to balance their two of their commitments, fatigue and injuries took a toll on them which is why they are not being favoured by the SBOTOP odds since they’ll come in here with a long absentee list.

For this game, they will miss Leonardo Spinazzola (hamstring), Stephan El Shaarawy (hamstring), Nicolo Zaniolo (ACL), Marash Kumbulla (knee), and Chris Smalling (knee). Amadou Diawara will also sit this one out as he picked up a red card in the last time out.

These absences mean that Ibanez and Bryan Cristante get an extended run at the back, while seldom-used players such as Rick Karsdorp, Bruno Peres, and Gonzalo Villar are going to accompany the attacking trio of Borja Mayoral, Jordan Veretout, and Edin Dzeko.

More goals and wins for Atalanta

The Serie A 2021 highlights continue to come in for Atalanta as they’ve rediscovered their lethal attacking form.

La Dea continue to step on the gas pedal by pouring in a ton of goals, and that led to them having a five-game winning streak this past month.

Gian Piero Gasperini’s side is one of the biggest winners last weekend as they jumped to the third spot after defeating Juventus thanks to a late goal from Ruslan Malinovskyi.

Atalanta are currently in third place in Serie A — Ruslan Malinovskyi celebrates after scoring the game-winner against Juventus

And coming into this contest, they are much healthier compared to AS Roma – putting them in prime position to move further up to the table.

Hans Hateboer is the only doubt due to a foot problem. But with the quartet of Ruslan Malinovskyi, Luis Muriel, Duvan Zapata, and Robin Gosens present, they should have no problem in adding on to the league’s best-attacking tally of 72 goals as of this writing.

History

With 18 wins in their last 38 games, AS Roma have the slight edge in the head-to-heads while Atalanta have won 12 times along with eight draws.

La Dea are on a three-game winning streak against I Giallorossi and their previous encounter ended with a 4-1 tally last December.

When Edin Dzeko gave Roma the lead after a third-minute goal, Duvan Zapata, Robin Gosens, Josip Ilicic, and Luis Muriel each scored one goal in the second half to rout the Giallorossi.

Betting Tip

	AS Roma vs Atalanta	Atalanta Asian Handicap -0.25 @ 1.75
	April 23, 00:30 (GMT+8)

The Serie A 2021 odds are siding with Atalanta to claim their sixth straight domestic victory.

Atalanta are the heavy favourites at 1.96, while AS Roma are priced at 3.35 and chances for a draw are at 3.80.

Matches between AS Roma and Atalanta have always been fun and we can expect another cracker on Thursday.

If only AS Roma weren’t ravaged with injuries, they would’ve been in a much better position to put up a valiant stand against a rampant Atalanta squad.

La Dea’s firepower will overwhelm the Giallorossi’s midfield and backline and they are expected to come away with three more points from Stadio Olimpico.