Atalanta vs Fiorentina
The postponed Serie A match between Atalanta and Fiorentina is finally going to be held at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo this Sunday.
This game from the 29th matchday is nearly three months in the making, and the reason why this event was moved to a later date is because Fiorentina director Joe Barone died from a heart attack shortly before kickoff.
With that said, this should give Fiorentina enough motivation to try and win this game, especially after they just lost their second consecutive Europa Conference League final against Olympiacos on Thursday.
As for the hosts, their job is finished for this year after winning the Europa League, but they don’t mind getting another victory in front of their home fans.
Read more below for today’s SBOTOP preview.
Talking Points
Lookman is still the man for Atalanta
Gian Piero Gasperini can pat himself on the back for a job well done, as Atalanta managed to win their first major trophy since 1963 en route to securing their Champions League berth.
A key reason why they’ve been successful is because La Dea have four players who scored double-digit goals this season, and one of them is Ademola Lookman.
Lookman is Atalanta’s second-leading scorer with 15 goals and seven assists in all competitions, and he is in a rich vein of form heading into this weekend, which is an understatement.
The 26-year-old attacking midfielder almost singlehandedly beat Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final last week because he had a hat-trick. Lookman followed it up with another goal during their 3-0 beatdown of Torino on Monday.
Besides Lookman, Fiorentina’s backline will have to account for the likes of Gianluca Scamacca, Charles De Ketelaere, and Teun Koopmeiners. Scamacca is the team’s leading scorer with 18 goals and seven assists, while De Ketelaere and Koopmeiners have combined for 24 goals and 16 assists.
In other Serie A 2024 news, Marten de Roon and Sead Kolasinac will miss the season finale due to injuries, while Hans Hateboer will serve his suspension.
Bonaventura remains motivated for Fiorentina
Fiorentina probably can’t wait to end this season after losing yet another Europa Conference League final, but don’t tell that to Giacomo Bonaventura, who has a point to prove ahead of the summer.
The 34-year-old midfielder, who has recorded eight goals and four assists this season, will be eager to have a good performance on the road against his former team, as he was notably excluded from the Italian national team for Euro 2024.
Bonaventura will be joined by Nicolas Gonzalez, Lucas Beltran, and M’Bala Nzola in the final third, while Antonin Barak and Andrea Belotti are additional options off the bench for Vincenzo Italiano.
Gonzalez and Beltran lead La Viola in scoring this season, with the former having 15 goals and four assists and the latter having 10 goals and two assists.
Ricardo Sottil is the only notable absence for Fiorentina, as the winger broke his collarbone earlier this month.
History
Fiorentina have won three of their last five Serie A encounters against Atalanta (D1, L1) after having won only one of their 10 previous such games.
If Fiorentina win on Sunday, this would be their second league double over Atalanta (since 2021-22) under head coach Vincenzo Italiano.
In their reverse fixture in September, La Viola came away with a 3-2 win, as Giacomo Bonaventura, Lucas Martinez Quarta, and Christian Kouame all found the back of the net for the hosts, while Teun Koopmeiners and Ademola Lookman scored for La Dea.
Atalanta would get their revenge, however, in the Coppa Italia semi-finals. After losing 1-0 in the first leg, La Dea notched a 4-1 win in the second leg to earn the right to meet Juventus in the final, in which they lost 1-0.
Betting Tip
The Serie A 2024 odds are in favour of the hosts to win on Sunday, as Atalanta are 1.42 favourites, whereas Fiorentina are 5.80 underdogs, and a draw is at 4.41 in the 1X2 market.
While Fiorentina have had their way lately against Atalanta in the league, the hosts’ better recent form is hard to ignore, so we’re picking them to cap off their successful 2023-24 campaign with a victory at home.
Other than our recommended bet above, you may also check out Over 3.25 at 2.14, Over 3.00 at 1.86, Total Goal 2-3 at 2.10 and Total Goal 4-6 at 2.57 as alternatives.
Meanwhile, a win for Fiorentina could give you a huge payday compared to Atalanta, as Correct Scores of 1-0, 2-1, and 2-0 have offers of 20.00, 20.00, and 48.00, respectively.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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