They love their strikers in Bergamo and after another exciting season, Atalanta almost won a stunning double.
After going on a 19-match unbeaten run, Gian Piero Gasperini’s side became unlikely challengers to Juventus in the race for the Scudetto, coming up on the rails after Lazio and Inter Milan had stumbled. And they scored the most goals in Serie A, a whopping 98, 17 more than closest rivals Inter, and 22 more than champions Juventus.
La Dea is the star of the Serie A 2020 highlights package and they’re not bad at defending either, conceding 48 goals and ranking fifth in that measure.
They had the magical 100 goals tally in their sights, just two short with one game to play but when Atalanta had a face-off with Inter for second place, they drew a blank as Danilo D’Ambrosio and Ashley Young gave Inter a 2-0 win in what their head coach, Antonio Conte, described as the ‘best of the losers.’
A bit harsh!
Conte was probably a little grumpy because Inter flew out of the blocks at the start of the campaign and, at one stage, the Serie A 2020 betting odds had I Nerazzurri neck-and-neck with the Old Lady. And they made a late run for the title but, like Atalanta, fell short.
Lazio went on a spectacular run but lost their way after the return of football in June and finished fourth, level on points with La Dea.
So it was Atalanta who had all the neutrals cheering for them as the 2019/20 campaign finally came to a climax. And it really looked like Gasperini’s dream was on when they outplayed Juventus in a 2-2 draw before hitting local rivals Brescia for six three days later. Other victories over rivals Lazio and Napoli really showed how good Atalanta can be on their day.
They don’t rely on one single striker. While Lazio’s Ciro Immobile held off Juve’s Cristiano Ronaldo for the Capocannoniere, trailed by Inter’s Romelu Lukaku, La Dea shares out the goals.
Colombian striker Duvan Zapata led the way with 18 goals and six assists, while Luis Muriel matched his 18 goals and made one assist, but he scored his 18 at a rate of one per 69 minutes on the pitch, the best ratio in the league. Add in the 15 goals and five assists of Josip Ilicic and you have the best front three in Italy.
Euro clash keeps La Dea’s season alive
Gasperini’s team is still in the 2020 Champions League and has a huge test against Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.
This is Atalanta’s first campaign in Europe’s flagship competition and they reached the quarter-finals in spectacular fashion. Slovenian Ilicic scored four goals in a behind-closed-doors second-leg tie against La Liga’s Valencia, winning 8-4 on aggregate.
It’s sad that the fans who normally pack the 21,000-capacity stadium aren’t there to enjoy the ride in Atalanta’s best ever period, their only major triumph being the 1963 Coppa Italia to go alongside six Serie B titles. If they can find their best form against the Parisiens they should be fine, but this is a step up.
The Champions League will be concluded in a mini-tournament with all ties consisting of one leg instead of two, and that could work in Atalanta’s favour. We’ll be covering the clash here at SBOBET and it promises to be a cracker, both teams knowing it’s do-or-die in the heat of the Estadio do Sport Lisboa in Portugal.
PSG were awarded the Ligue 1 title on a points-per-game basis after COVID-19 stopped football in France, and they are unbeaten in this Champions League campaign, topping their group ahead of Real Madrid.
La Dea are likely to be without Ilicic for personal reasons, while PSG are sweating on the fitness of star striker Kylian Mbappe, who was injured in the Coupe de France final victory over Saint-Etienne.
Happy Hellas
Winners of the 2018/19 Serie B play-off, Hellas Verona would have measured survival as success this term, but they earned a ninth-placed finish after an impressive campaign, which included a 1-1 home draw against Atalanta, late in July, when Matteo Pessina equalised after Zapata had given the visitors a lead early in the second half.
I Mastini missed out on a clash with local rivals Chievo in the Verona derby, but they look set to stay in Serie A for a while on the evidence of this season so it’s down to their neighbours to step up. Chievo finished the Serie B season in 6th place so they are not far away.
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