Serie A: When the Goddess Meets the Old Lady, Expect Fireworks

Atalanta vs Juventus

We’re heading north to Bergamo for the Serie A clash of the weekend where Atalanta host Juventus in a mouthwatering tie, 5pm on Saturday afternoon local time.

Both teams have made a solid start to the new campaign and sit in fourth and third places in the league table, with Juve a point ahead of Atalanta and two behind the Milan pair.

And make no mistake, this is a huge match with each needing a win to keep their early season momentum going. If both teams go for it, we can expect goals.

Few neutrals fancied Juventus for a Scudetto winning season at the start of the campaign and, after a recent decade of dominance, that is hard to take for Bianconeri fans. The latest Serie A 2023 betting odds place their team in third place, but their off-field problems have not transferred to the pitch where Juventus are playing some fine football.

And Atalanta, for seasons the team we can rely of for swashbuckling, free-scoring football is, despite the sale of Rasmus Hojlund to Manchester United, full of goals again.

But La Dea and the Old Lady can both scrap it out when they need to. Atalanta come into the game on the back of a 1-0 win away to Hellas Verona, while Juventus won by the same score-line at home to Lecce.

Talking Points

Gasperini’s respect for the Old Lady

Gian Piero Gasperini is part of the furniture at Atalanta, taking over as head coach in 2016, and his teams have become the favourites for neutrals to watch throughout Europe.

There isn’t much Gasperini doesn’t know about the Italian top-flight or his rivals, and he has the utmost respect for his next opponents.

In the aftermath of Atalanta’s win over Verona, he spoke to the Italian football press about Juventus, saying: “They remain a great team. They have important values, when they go forward they always manage to be dangerous. This is a good challenge that comes at the right time, in a phase of the championship that has started well for both.”

While La Dea waved goodbye to forward Hojlund, Gasperini is delighted to have kept hold of attacking midfielder Teun Koopmeiners, who was a player in great demand over the summer and showed his worth with the winning goal against Verona.

La Dea were firm in its resolve to keep the 25-year-old Dutch international, who has scored 16 goals in his 69 appearances since arriving in Bergamo in 2021.

Koopmeiners is a good source of supply for striker Ademola Lookman, and the veteran Duvan Zapata, who has been drafted into the starting lineup following an injury to Gianluca Scamacca.

And Juve’s strike pair poses a big threat

Bianconeri boss Max Allegri knows his team is in for a tough test too, but Gasperini is right that Juventus have a pair of goal-getters who are banging in form.

Dusan Vlahovic and Federico Chiesa, with four goals each, have made a fast start in the race for the Capocannoniere, with only Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez ahead with five.

Chiesa, playing a wider role, has become one of Juve’s most important players, and the club is working hard to extend his contract in Turin. A one-year extension is being discussed, and the Azzurri star seems happy with his football at the moment.

Juve’s last away game resulted in a 4-2 loss to Sassuolo when Chiesa was on target, and he bagged as well when the Old Lady came up against Lazio recently, while Vlahovic scored a brace, so these two are hot.

History

With 35 wins from 55 games, Juventus have bossed their encounters with Atalanta over the past 30 years, while there have been 15 draws and La Dea has won just five.

But in recent times, the relationship has been more even with each side winning one, and there have been three draws over the past five games.

In terms of recent form, there is little to choose between the two sides, both putting in a good set of Serie A 2023 results.

Atalanta have won four and lost two of the last six games, while Juventus have won four, drawn one, and lost one. And Atalanta have won their last six games at the Gewiss Stadium.

Betting Tip

At SBOTOP odds of 2.36, we think La Dea has a slight edge, while the Old Lady at 2.69 and the draw at 2.96 are both right in the game.

It’s a really hard match to call, but if Atalanta play their fast flowing game and I Bianconeri’s strikers have their shooting boots on, we should see plenty of goalmouth action.

 

●●●

CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS

Stay updated with everything sports and betting.

Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.