Napoli vs Atalanta: Tricky test in store for league leaders
Napoli could be facing a tricky test when they welcome Atalanta on Saturday. The league leaders will be looking to rebound after a shocking 2-2 draw with Sassuolo, who were full of confidence following their 3-1 scalp over Milan last weekend. After starting the season off brilliantly, Luciano Spalletti’s side have stumbled lately, drawing two and losing one of their last five games. However, they still maintain their grip on top spot after Milan also lost last weekend, but only narrowly.
Indeed, by the time Napoli take to the pitch, they’re likely to have slipped down the rankings given that Milan will face bottom-ranked Salernitana earlier on Saturday. In addition, Inter will face Roma a few hours before Napoli’s kick off, so it’s possible that Spalletti’s men will be sitting in third spot before even a ball is kicked. The draw with Sassuolo came at a huge price, as key defender Kalidou Koulibaly sustained a hamstring injury that will keep him out until 2022, joining Victor Osimhen on the sidelines. In addition star striker Lorenzo Insigne is facing a race against time to be declared fit after suffering a knock; Insigne had previously been out for quite some time due to another injury.
Napoli have indeed been in excellent form especially at home, with their last loss taking place in early 2021 when they were defeated by newly promoted Spezia. Since then, the Partenopei have won 14 and drawn four of their last 18 games at the Stadio Diego Maradona. They also have the strongest defense, having conceded just nine goals, but the way they collapsed against Sassuolo – after taking a two goal lead – will be quite worrying for Spalleti. And to complicate matters, they’ve been dealt a big blow with Koulibaly’s injury.
Atalanta, for their part, have won their last four games, including beating Juventus in Turin for the first time since October 1989. La Dea are again in a solid position to challenge for Champions League football as they continue to try to force their way into conversations about Italy’s biggest sides. While they’re still viewed as a smaller team – namely due to their limited budget – they’ve been punching well above their weight for sometime now, and now Italy’s big teams have quickly learned not to take them lightly.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side are again active on three fronts, albeit their foray into the Champions League hasn’t gone as well as they’d hoped. So far, Atalanta have won just one game in their group stage campaign, but still do have a very slim chance at qualifying for the round of 16 if they can win their final match against Villarreal next week.
Overall, Atalanta are unbeaten in their last nine matches across all comps, and notably beat Napoli 4-2 when they met last season in Bergamo. All in all, this is a match Napoli can’t afford to lose, especially with the possibility of the current league leaders potentially sliding into third before the match kicks off, but La Dea, who have won their last four league games, will certainly be happy with a draw (or possibly more).
With their impressive home record potentially at stake, will the league leaders be able to hold Atalanta at bay and ensure they finish this round still on top of the table?
