Serie A: The Eagles Defend Their Nest from the Goddess

Lazio vs Atalanta

Fresh from a nail-biter of a game against Celtic, the Eagles are set to host Atalanta in Estadio Olímpico de Roma for a momentum-shifting Serie A bout. Both sides are having stellar European campaigns but have yet to use that momentum to set them apart in Serie A.

Expect this fixture to contain a lot of Serie A 2023 highlights, as it bears much importance to both Gian Piero Gasperini and Maurizio Sarri. Lazio will aim to turn their disheartening start to the season around and start climbing the league table, while Atalanta strive to make their mark as one of Italy’s elite clubs with their consistency this season.

Talking Points

Lazio proving themselves in the Champions League

Lazio just came off a stunning victory over the best team in the Scottish Premiership, Celtic, at Celtic Park. Maurizio Sarri and the rest of the Eagles brought heartbreak to the stunned Celtic fans as they stole a win in Glasgow. Pedro’s cheeky 95^th-minute goal punctuated a hard fought-match that propelled Lazio into the Group E standings in the Champions League.

Celtic got the early lead when Kyogo Furuhashi calmly slid in for his first tournament goal, giving his team the advantage. Unfortunately for the home fans, their elation didn’t last long as Uruguayan midfielder Matias Vecino equalised before minute 30 in the first half.

The game was very competitive in the second half, as both teams refused to give the other any advantage. Most, if not all, thought that the match would’ve ended in a draw, but the former Chelsea star, Pedro, came to Lazio’s rescue when he swooped in in the dying moments of the match to give Lazio the away win.

Lazio and Atleti are both tied for four points in the stacked Group E, but Atleti are currently the top seed as they lead in goals with four to Lazio’s three. Both clubs remain undefeated after two games in the group stage, while Feyenoord and Celtic are third and last, respectively.

This is a great buoy for the Eagles’ morale as they attempt to steamroll their way up the Serie A league table. Even though they’re struggling in the Italian league, their win against Celtic is a perfect reminder that they are still a presence in the football landscape and can go toe-to-toe with Europe’s best.

Atalanta make their return to European action

Atalanta failed to qualify for the Champions League after having a rough few weeks early in the calendar year. But the disgruntled squad was able to rally themselves and qualify for the 2023 Europa League.

La Dea started their first Europa League campaign since 2021-22 by coolly beating Rakow Czestochowa 2-0. After a short hiatus from EUAFA competitions, La Dea returned in spectacular fashion. They dominated the Polish champions at Gewiss Stadium.

Atalanta are set to face off against Sporting Lisbon in hopes of back-to-back wins to start the group stages. Like Lazio, La Dea are also thriving in European football contests. But, unlike Lazio, La Dea are also holding their own in Serie A.

They came off a scoreless draw against Juventus last weekend, but a win against Sporting Lisbon will surely boost their form against the Eagles in their next Serie A match. Atalanta have been, for the most part, consistent in their Italian campaign this season. They have won three of their last five league matches, tallying a clean sheet in all those wins.

History

These two sides are very familiar with each other. In fact, Atalanta are the team that Lazio have faced the most times at home in Italy’s top-flight in the last five years without coming out victorious. In six games since the 2017-18 campaign, against Atalanta, Lazio have lost three and drawn three. In total, Atalanta have won a total of 37 Serie A matches against Lazio.

In recent form, Atalanta continue to boast their presence in Serie A with another good start to their campaign. They have already made club history early in the season as they collected five clean sheets in their first seven league games.

They have lost just once in their last five Serie A games. The loss came when they visited Fiorentina at Artemio Franchi Stadium last month. Both teams were competitive all throughout the match, but Ivorian

Christian Kouame sealed the deal for Fiorentina with a goal in the latter parts of the second half.

Meanwhile, Maurizio Sarri’s club has been having a slow start to their Serie A campaign. In seven games, Lazio have only been able to tally seven points. Should they lose to the visiting Atalanta, it will be their worst start in eight top-flight matches since the 1995-95 season.

Betting Tip

Interestingly enough, even though Atalanta have the better form to start the campaign and are historically successful against Lazio, the SBOTOP Serie A 2023 betting odds still have Lazio as the slight favourites to win this one at 2.50. To be fair, Atalanta are virtually priced the same at 2.60, while the draw price is at a reasonable 3.15.

Personally, I would take Atalanta to win this one. Even though Lazio historically have better finishes in the Serie A table, they are having such a slow start this season. Atalanta, on the other hand, have been more consistent seven games in. They are currently 10 spots above Lazio, have scored more goals, and have a better goal difference.

With these being said, I think Atalanta to win at 2.60 holds tremendous value and should be considered when choosing a line to bet on for this match.

Another line that I see some value in is O/U under 2.75 priced at 1.68. Both teams haven’t been offencively dominant so far this season. Atalanta have found the back of the net 11 times in seven games, the least number of goals scored among the top six teams in the Serie A table. Meanwhile, Lazio, who are currently just four spots above league-worst Cagliari, have only scored seven goals.

 

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