Aiming to cement their place in Serie A's top six, Atalanta BC visit relegation-threatened Cagliari on Sunday evening.
La Dea lost the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final in midweek but are pushing hard for a place in Europe; meanwhile, their hosts are deep in danger at the other end of the standings.
Match preview
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Having returned from the international break by beating reigning champions Napoli 3-0 at Stadio Maradona, with Teun Koopmeiners on target again, Atalanta were full of confidence for their first-leg clash with Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia semi-finals.
After ending a four-match winless streak in the league and tightening their grip on sixth spot in the table, Gian Piero Gasperini's side were beaten 1-0 on Wednesday evening, though they can still earn a place in the cup final by overturning their deficit in the home leg.
The Bergamo club can also look forward to a mouthwatering Europa League contest against Premier League leaders Liverpool, as they get set for a trip to Anfield next week, but first they must focus on gaining a return to Europe via Serie A.
Although Atalanta sit seven points adrift of fourth-placed Bologna and two behind Roma, fifth place could yet be enough to secure participation in an expanded Champions League, so there is plenty to play for during an action-packed finale to the 2023-24 campaign.
Due to the last-minute postponement of their recent league fixture against Fiorentina, La Dea will now tackle a third straight away game in Serie A, aiming to build on a 2-2 draw with Juventus and that fine win over Napoli.
In addition to a 2-0 success in September's reverse fixture, Atalanta have also won on their last four league visits to Cagliari, and they can now make history by winning five straight away games against a single opponent for the first time ever in Italy's top flight.
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Gasperini (552) and the more itinerant Claudio Ranieri (467) are both inside the top four for games managed in Serie A, and ahead of Sunday's encounter they have previously met 11 times in the league, drawing only once - there have been four wins for 'Gasp' and six for Ranieri.
Both men have accrued vast experience across their respective careers, and Ranieri is certainly not presiding over his first scrap for survival, though prior results in that regard have been mixed.
In recent weeks, his Cagliari side have lost just one of their last six matches, following a tough run of four successive defeats that saw them ship an average of three goals per game. That left them staring a quick return to Serie B in the face, but they now sit two points clear of the drop zone.
Drawing 1-1 at home to fellow strugglers Hellas Verona - with substitute Ibrahim Sulemana scoring the equaliser against his former club - extended their unbeaten streak at Unipol Domus to three last week, but the Rossoblu have still won only five of 15 fixtures in Sardinia this season.
Both Cagliari and Atalanta benefited from goals scored by subs last time out, and the two teams have now netted 11 goals via the bench this season, bettered only by AC Milan. Perhaps a late twist can be expected, then, when they meet this weekend.
Team News
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While young defender Giorgio Scalvini is sidelined again, after missing Atalanta's midweek trip to Tuscany, Belgian forward Charles De Ketelaere has returned from an adductor problem in time to travel south to Sardinia.
Isak Hien should deputise for Scalvini in the visitors' back three, while Ederson and Gianluca Scamacca may also come into La Dea's starting XI.
Following last week's strike against Napoli, Teun Koopmeiners has already posted his best scoring figures since swapping the Eredivisie for Serie A, and nine of his 11 league goals have come on the road. The Netherlands international is set to support either Ademola Lookman or Scamacca up front.
Meanwhile, Cagliari are without Andrea Petagna, Leonardo Pavoletti and Marco Mancosu, so Gianluca Lapadula is expected to lead the hosts' attack.
Zito Luvumbo recently returned to fitness and should also be involved in the final third, where Claudio Ranieri still has plenty of options at his disposal.
Cagliari possible starting lineup:
Scuffet; Zappa, Mina, Dossena, Augello; Makoumbou, Deiola; Nandez, Gaetano, Luvumbo; Lapadula
Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:
Carnesecchi; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Zappacosta, Ederson, De Roon, Ruggeri; Koopmeiners, Pasalic; Scamacca
We say: Cagliari 1-2 Atalanta BC
These clubs have not drawn any of their last Serie A 17 meetings, and that streak could continue on Sunday evening, when Atalanta should return to base with maximum points. Their varied attack can exploit Cagliari's dubious defence, though it will be far from a straightforward mission.
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Jonathan O'Shea
