Both La Dea and the Bianconeri could drop out of the top four if they lose on Sunday. Here's a preview of this highly-anticipated weekend showdown.

Atalanta vs Juventus – preview

Juventus are gearing up for a tricky weekend showdown in the Italian top-flight, with last season's champions set to visit one of Serie A's most exciting and most dangerous teams: Atalanta. The two sides will locks horns at the Gewiss Stadium at 9 a.m. ET as the home side look to leapfrog the Old Lady in the heated top-four race.

Atalanta are keen on making it to the UEFA Champions League for a third year running. Gian Piero Gasperini's side sit in fourth, which would book them a spot in next season's European competition. However, given how tight the table is, the result on Sunday could see La Dea climb to third or drop out of the top four.

The Bianconeri sit only a point ahead while fifth-placed Napoli, who will be taking on league leaders Inter Milan, are only two points behind. If Atalanta are to end their long winless run against the Bianconeri, they will need the likes of Muriel, Zapata, and  Malinovskyi to be at their best. The latter of the three has enjoyed a renaissance as of late, assisting five goals in his last three outings.

La Dea head into this tie on the back of consecutive 3-2 wins, beating Udinese and Fiorentina respectively. Zapata netted three of those six goals while fellow Colombian forward Luis Muriel scored two. Given all of this, it comes as little surprise that Atalanta boast the best attack in the league, racking up 71 goals in 30 fixtures so far. Only Inter Milan come close, with the table-toppers netting 69 times this term.

Despite all of this, Gasperini's defense has been atrocious, managing only two clean sheets in their last 10 fixtures. The hosts will need to remedy this if they wish to register a win over Juventus in the league for the first time since February 2021, losing 24 times in 32 encounters since their last victory.

Fortunately for Atalanta, not all is well at Juventus. While Andrea Pirlo's men will be taking on a team that concedes goals for fun, the Italian giants will be without their top scorer, Cristiano Ronaldo, for this tie. Bianconeri fans can rest assured as this is not a huge issue, with the manager stating that it's merely precautionary as the Portuguese legend has a flexor muscle issue.

Regardless, having scored 25 times this season in Serie A, the Old Lady will miss their five-time Ballon d'Or winner. The visitors have triumphed in their last two outings after going back-to-back games without a win. However, with Atalanta being only a point behind and fifth-placed Napoli trailing by three, Juve could drop out of the top four if everything goes horribly wrong.

Team news

Atalanta: Matteo Pessina has recovered from COVID-19 and is available for selection. Cristian Romero is unavailable, however, and thus will not face his parent club. Hans Hateboer, meanwhile, is out with an injury.

Juventus: Federico Bernardeschi looks to be Pirlo's only absentee. Leonardo Bonucci and Merih Demiral are back for selection while Paulo Dybala, who returned to goalscoring form in the 2-1 win over Napoli earlier this month, will likely be utilized as a super sub.

Key stats

  • Atalanta have managed only four wins over Juventus in their entire history.

  • The last time La Dea beat the Bianconeri was way back in February 2021.

  • Their last three encounters, however, have ended in draws, the most recent being a 1-1 stalemate in December.

Broadcast listings

 

Match details, result and original broadcast info

Atalanta 1 - 0 Juventus

April 18, 2021 9:00amGewiss Stadium (Bergamo)

This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.

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