Atalanta and Fiorentina will clash on Saturday, September 11, in the third round of the 2021/22 Serie A season. The two Italian squads last met in April, when Atalanta edged out a 3-2 victory in Florence, and with it secured their third consecutive head-to-head win, but can they make it four?
Atalanta vs Fiorentina
When: Saturday, September 11 – 20:45 CEST
Where: Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy
Weather: Partly cloudy, 25°C
Referee: Valerio Marini (ITA)
Each of their eight previous meetings were high-scoring affairs with at least three goals per match. Their most recent duel saw Atalanta winning 3-2 at Fiorentina’s stadium. This time, the game is played in Bergamo, and Atalanta are once again the favourites.
It’s Time for Atalanta to Shift into Top Gear
Even though they haven’t done poorly in the first two rounds of the 2021-22 Serie A, Atalanta players probably feel they could’ve done better. They won the first game 2-1 against Torino but then managed only a draw 0-0 with Bologna at home.
That’s something football fans haven’t seen too many times over the past couple of years. In fact, in each of the previous three seasons, Atalanta were the highest-scoring team in the league.
The reasons why they haven’t scored too many goals so far might have to do with the fact that Atalanta are missing a couple of their key men. Luis Muriel is out due to injury, while Marten de Roon is serving a suspension. On top of that, Hans Hateboer is on the long road to recovery from foot surgery.
The good news is that 20-year-old striker Roberto Piccoli is fit and raring to go, together with Davide Zappacosta, who returned to the club recently. Atalanta’s roster looks pretty good this season, with some excellent players in all positions.
New Era to Start in Fiorentina
The Arsenal midfielder Lucas Torreira who’s on a loan deal at Fiorentina, might make his debut this evening. We could also see Alvaro Odriozola recording his first-ever appearance as Fiorentina right-back.
These guys were bought in to make Fiorentina a much stronger side than it was a year ago. As a reminder, the 2020-21 season was one of their worst in recent years; we saw Viola going 9-13-16, with a goal differential of 47-59.
Fiorentina hasn’t had the worst start to the season, although they lost (1-3) to AS Roma in the Italian capital in their season opener. However, the Viola improved in the second round when they defeated Torino (2-1) at home.
For their third fixture of the season, Vincenzo Italiano’s men travel to Bergamo to take on the team they haven’t beaten in the Italian Serie A since September 2018. Do they stand a chance to end the disappointing record?
Sure they do, but the problem is that they might miss a couple of essential players this evening. Lucas Martinez Quarta, Erick Pulgar, and Nicolas Gonzalez are all doubtful following injury problems. Even if they get cleared for the game, they probably won’t get to play in the starting XI.
Atalanta vs Fiorentina Betting Pick
Even though Fiortnentina looks stronger to how they did the last term, they’re still not quite up there with Atalanta, who are rightly billed as the third-favourites to hoist the Serie A trophy by the end of the season. The visitors field solid players, but Atalanta’s are still a class above.
Furthermore, Atalanta are playing this game at home, which is another obvious advantage, seeing how they have ended last term with a solid 12-3-4 home record and are expected to do well at Gewiss Stadium this season as well.
All in all, we should see the hosts grab a relatively easy win tonight.
Prediction: Atalanta -1.00 Asian Handicap – 2.01 at Sportmarket
