Seeking a third straight win to keep themselves in the thick of Serie A's top-four race, Atalanta BC host mid-table Bologna on Saturday.
While the Bergamaschi have seen off two strugglers either side of the international break, their Rossoblu rivals beat Udinese last weekend to continue an impressive second half of the 2022-23 campaign.
Match preview
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After entering the final 20 minutes of last week's clash with regional rivals Cremonese all-square, Atalanta pulled away to secure victory thanks to goals from Jeremie Boga and Ademola Lookman - the latter coming deep into stoppage time.
Though they sat as high as second before the World Cup, Gian Piero Gasperini's men had slipped down the standings as goals dried up in early 2023, but back-to-back wins now see them occupying sixth place; just two points adrift of the Champions League places.
Much attention has centred on rookie striker Rasmus Hojlund, who has claimed a place among Europe's hottest properties before his first season with La Dea has even finished, but Atalanta's lack of a truly prolific scorer this term has led to more of a team effort in the final third.
Following Ederson's assist in Cremona, the Bergamo side rank first for the most different players with at least one goal and one assist in Serie A this season (14). Incidentally, their next strike will be number 2,500 for the club in Italy's top flight.
As they aim to reach such a milestone, Atalanta return home to the Gewiss Stadium, where they have won three of their last five matches - as many as in their previous 14.
History will certainly be on their side when they do so, as the Nerazzurri have lost only once in their last 14 league meetings with Bologna; winning 11 times in the process, including January's reverse fixture at Stadio Dall'Ara.
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While their recent record when faced by La Dea makes for miserable reading, in 2023 to date, Bologna have uncannily recorded the same Serie A performance as Saturday's visitors: 21 points, coming courtesy of six wins, three draws and four defeats apiece.
The Rossoblu, though, have proved tighter defensively, as under Gasperini's former player at Genoa, head coach Thiago Motta, they have conceded just 11 goals during that time - only Napoli, Lazio and Inter have fared better.
Such stats were aided by a comprehensive 3-0 defeat of fellow mid-table side Udinese last week, when Stefan Posch opened the scoring with a screamer and ex-Atalanta striker Musa Barrow applied the finishing touch to an impressive home win.
Not only did Bologna post a third straight Serie A shut-out at Dall'Ara for the first time since 2012, but three clean sheets in their last five league matches represents as many as in their previous 23.
All of which surely leaves the Emilians confident of keeping Atalanta scoreless on Saturday, though a late push for their first European qualification this century looks a stretch too far for Italy's eighth-placed side.
Team News
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Though Gian Piero Gasperini will have Berat Djimsiti back in the fold on Saturday - and just in time to replace the suspended Rafael Toloi in Atalanta's back three - Teun Koopmeiners seems set to miss out through injury once again.
Other potential changes could see Joakim Maehle usurp Matteo Ruggeri on the left flank, with Jeremie Boga in contention to take the place of Mario Pasalic behind La Dea's strikers.
In attack, Rasmus Hojlund - who scored against Bologna in January and has seven Serie A goals this season - will hope to partner 13-goal top scorer Ademola Lookman, but Colombian duo Duvan Zapata and Luis Muriel have been back in favour of late.
Bologna, meanwhile, welcome back first-choice goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski, who returns as the Rossoblu's last line of defence after overcoming an illness that saw him sidelined against Udinese.
Injured pair Marko Arnautovic and Andrea Cambiaso remain unavailable though, and the former's ongoing absence means Musa Barrow should again start up front.
Having found the net only four times in 41 league appearances for Atalanta between 2018 and 2019, the Gambian forward was involved in three goals last time out (one of his own and two assists) - as many as in his previous 17 matches.
Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:
Musso; Palomino, Scalvini, Djimsiti; Zappacosta, De Roon, Ederson, Maehle; Pasalic; Hojlund, Zapata
Bologna possible starting lineup:
Skorupski; Posch, Lucumi, Soumaoro, Kyriakopoulos; Schouten, Moro; Aebischer, Ferguson, Sansone; Barrow
We say: Atalanta BC 2-1 Bologna
Atalanta finally have a handful of strikers fit and nearing top form, so should score at least once against a team which has conceded at a rate of two goals per game when on the road; Bologna have been brilliant in Emilia-Romagna recently, but less impressive away from home.
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Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
