Preview: The Bianconeri chase Inter's record of 97 points in a season against Atalanta
It has perhaps been a somewhat disappointing season for Juventus and their supporters. Following their Champions League exit at the hands of eventual winners Bayern Munich, Antonio Conte conceded that his side was like a partially completed skyscraper, and that they had quite a ways to go to become a strong contender on the continental stage.
However, they were expected to at least get out of the group stages this season, being placed in a fairly straightforward group with Real Madrid the only side that looked to present any trouble. Yet, thanks to poor performances against the likes of Galatasaray and Copenhagen, they left it too late to secure progress to the knockout rounds and failed to beat the Turkish side in the away fixture.
It was then on to the Europa League, a competition that Italian sides have a tendency not to take seriously, and this has overally hurt Serie A in terms of coefficient rankings. With the final set in Turin, Juventus had now more incentive to clinch the trophy in front of their own fans, but it was not meant to be as Benfica successfully held them off to secure their place in the finals for the second straight season.
So, having gone from the prospect of winning a Treble to just now another league title, the reigning Scudetto holders were keen to at least maintain that and hold off a resurgent Roma side that were determined to push this race for as long as it takes. And, given that they let down their fans during Thursday's 0-0 Europa League stalemate, the least they could do is move even closer to Inter's record 97 points with a win over Atalanta.
Interestingly though, their fate regarding the league race was not entirely in their own hands, as they had to hope that basement dwellers Catania somehow manage to prevent Rudi Garcia's men from winning. However, as is the case in football--always be prepared to expect the unexpected--and gli Elefanti pulled off one of the biggest upsets all season after demolishing the Giallorossi 4-1 in front of their supporters.
But, regarding the upcoming match between Juventus and Atalanta, with many teams, the odds are in favour of Juve as the two sides have won over half (58) of their previous 107 meetings. And even more concerning for Atalanta's supporters is the fact that their top scorer, German Denis has yet to score a goal against the Bianconeri in his entire playing time in Italy.
No team so far has been able to win at Juventus Stadium since Bayern Munich did so in the quarter-finals of last year's Champions League. And now, riding high on their 30th official Scudetto (32 if one counts the two that were stripped due to Calciopoli), it will be interesting to see whether Conte fields a full-strength squad as they hope to become the first Italian team to reach 100 points.
Of course, Atalanta will certainly be hoping that they will be suffering from a celebration hangover and become the first side to escape Turin with three points.
Where to watch the match – live stream, start time, TV channels, live scores
In Canada at 15.00 ET on: beIN Sports Play Canada, beIN Sports Canada, RAI International
In the US at 15.00 EST on: beIN Sports en Español, beIN Sports USA, beIN Sports Play, RAI International
In the UK at 20.00 BST on: BT Sport 1
In Italy at 21.00 CET on: Sky Sport 1 HD Italia, Premium Calcio 1, Premium Calcio, Sky Supercalcio HD, Sky Calcio 1
For live score updates and more live listings of this match, visit the Juventus vs. Atalanta match page.
