Serie A: Atalanta Need to Make a Statement in Bergamo

Atalanta vs AS Roma

When Juventus got their 15 points back after the Italian football federation suspended their penalty, the Old Lady moved into third place in the Serie A standings. As a result, AS Roma and Atalanta slipped to fourth and seventh place, respectively.

So, this game between Atalanta and AS Roma is going to be crucial because the race for Europe is getting tighter and valuable points are up for grabs when these two sides go head-to-head at Bergamo on Monday.

Prior to this match, AS Roma had won three consecutive league games after losing back-to-back last March. Meanwhile, Atalanta hit a rough patch, with just two victories in their last eight league outings.

SBOTOP football fans are going to look forward to Monday, so we are here for the preview of this battle between two top-four hopefuls.

Talking Points

Hojlund’s baptism of fire

Gian Piero Gasperini has a knack for producing great young attacking talent. With the likes of Duvan Zapata and Luis Muriel both in their 30s, Gasperini has relied more on his younger stars to produce goals.

Ademola Lookman, 25, leads La Dea in scoring with 13 goals, and he has four assists. And right behind him is a precocious talent named Rasmus Hojlund, who has seven goals and two assists this season.

Hojlund joined La Dea last summer, and he has notched 28 appearances across all competitions. He has also emerged as the next big thing for Denmark, scoring five goals in just two games during the last international break.

Being dubbed the “Danish Haaland”, Hojlund is desired by some of the top clubs in Europe, including Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich, due to his distinctive profile. He’s valued at £31 million by Transfermarkt.

With Lookman doubtful to play on Monday, Hojlund will continue to start in his place. These next few games will gauge Hojlund’s ability to perform in high-pressure situations since he’ll lead Atalanta’s charge to qualifying for European football next season.

Defence wins games for AS Roma

Jose Mourinho is no longer in a bad mood following AS Roma’s recent run of Serie A 2023 results. AS Roma’s recent success can be attributed to their much improved defence, which has tallied nine clean sheets across 2023 thus far.

During their three-game winning streak, AS Roma haven’t conceded a single goal against Udinese, Torino, or Sampdoria. I Giallorossi have not won four straight Serie A matches since the end of the 2019-20 season, while they haven’t won four matches in a row without conceding since October 2013, seven under Rudi Garcia.

Leeds loanee Diego Llorente has adapted well under Mourinho, establishing a strong back three partnership with Gianluca Mancini and Chris Smalling. The Spaniard barely played a minute during his first six Serie A matches, but he’s now a regular in the starting lineup.

This development has convinced AS Roma to try and sign Llorente for good. And reports claim that Leeds are willing to accept £13 million for him, which sounds like a bargain.

Because AS Roma had a busy run of games, Mourinho is likely to rotate his squad against Atalanta. With Paulo Dybala still out of action, the 20-year-old Edoardo Bove should get a start up front alongside Tammy Abraham and Lorenzo Pellegrini.

History

Recent form favours AS Roma, but they haven’t fared well against Atalanta in Serie A lately, winning only three of their last 16 league meetings (D6, L7).

AS Roma lost 1-0 to Atalanta in the reverse fixture earlier this season, as Giorgio Scalvini scored the only goal during the 35^th minute. It was a heated affair because seven Atalanta players were booked with yellow cards, while Jose Mourinho was ejected for a red card.

Atalanta haven’t kept two consecutive clean sheets against AS Roma in the Italian top-flight since 1965.

I Giallorossi have won their last Serie A away match against La Dea (4-1 on December 2021), but they haven’t won two in a row against them at Bergamo in Serie A since 2001, although they’ve scored in each of their last 12 visits.

Betting Tip

The Serie A 2023 odds expect a tight battle between Atalanta and AS Roma on Monday. Atalanta have the edge at 2.26 to win, whereas AS Roma are priced at 2.95, and a draw offers a good payout of 3.15. This match is a tough call because it can go either way, but we’re sure that this is going to be another low-scoring affair, hence our recommendation of Under 2.50 at 1.69.

 

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