Aiming to stay within close range of the Serie A summit, Atalanta BC will host a misfiring Juventus side on Tuesday evening.
Both beaten in the Supercoppa Italiana semi-finals before resuming league duty with a disappointing draw, the clubs convene for a midweek clash in Bergamo.
Match preview
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Perhaps suffering a hangover from their mid-season sojourn to Saudi Arabia, which saw them dumped out of the Supercoppa by Inter Milan in the semis, Atalanta were somewhat fortunate to avoid defeat on their return to Italian soil.
Even Gian Piero Gasperini admitted that luck was on La Dea's side on Saturday afternoon, when mid-table hosts Udinese twice struck the woodwork during the first half.
That result left the Bergamaschi trailing behind top spot midway through their Serie A campaign, but they are still very much in contention for a first-ever Scudetto.
After previously posting 12 wins from 13 games - beating both Napoli and AC Milan along the way - Atalanta are now winless in three as they approach a vital few weeks that could go a long way to deciding their destiny.
Last term's Europa League winners have a couple of Champions League contests coming up later this month - the latter away to Barcelona - and before tackling Bologna in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals they must face down two tough league opponents.
Ahead of hosting title rivals Napoli next weekend, Gasperini's men will try to post a 15th straight Serie A match without defeat when meeting Juventus.
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Meanwhile, Juve can head for Bergamo having finished the first half of their Serie A season unbeaten - yet, head coach Thiago Motta finds himself under serious pressure.
Days after losing to Milan in the Supercoppa semi-finals, the Bianconeri's boss was sent off during a derby draw with Torino that left his side stranded outside Italy's top four.
The year's first Derby della Mole ended all square, as a special strike from Kenan Yildiz was cancelled out by a similarly spectacular equaliser from Toro's Nikola Vlasic just before half time.
Juventus have now drawn five of their last six league games, continuing a trend that undermined the Turin club throughout 2024 - long before Motta was appointed.
While, in other circumstances, a share of the spoils would be an entirely acceptable outcome on Tuesday, maximum points will be demanded by Juve's increasingly frustrated fanbase.
Motta's men must reconvene with Milan next weekend, before facing Club Brugge in the Champions League and then visiting Napoli, so the next fortnight will certainly put them to the test.
Team News
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Atalanta's top scorer Mateo Retegui returned to training last week, and after missing Saturday's goalless draw in Udine, he may be back in the hosts' squad to play Juventus.
Ex-Juve wing-back Juan Cuadrado is also expected to recover from a thigh problem, but long-term absentee Gianluca Scamacca could be joined on the sidelines by Berat Djimsiti, who was forced off with a head injury that required stitches.
With Retegui unlikely to start, Charles De Ketelaere should continue his role up front, supported by Ademola Lookman. The latter needs just one more goal to reach double figures for each of the last three Serie A seasons.
Meanwhile, Thiago Motta - who must serve a touchline ban - will hope to have both Dusan Vlahovic and Francisco Conceicao back in the fold following muscular injuries.
Arkadiusz Milik, Juan Cabal and Bremer are all out for the long term, while veteran defender Danilo is negotiating an early end to his contract.
With the presence of Vlahovic still in some doubt, Nico Gonzalez is on standby to operate as a false nine again; in midfield, Manuel Locatelli's return from suspension should see Douglas Luiz drop back down to the bench.
Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:
Carnesecchi; Scalvini, Hien, Kolasinac; Bellanova, De Roon, Ederson, Zappacosta; Pasalic; Lookman, De Ketelaere
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Di Gregorio; Savona, Kalulu, Gatti, McKennie; Locatelli, Thuram; Yildiz, Koopmeiners, Weah; Gonzalez
We say: Atalanta BC 0-0 Juventus
Although both sides boast plenty of attacking talent, it could be an intense tactical battle between Thiago Motta and Gian Piero Gasperini, who are well acquainted from their Genoa days.
Master meets apprentice in Bergamo, and Gasp's men should add to Motta's frustration by playing out a close-fought draw.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
