Aiming to establish a new club record for consecutive Serie A wins, Atalanta BC will seek their 10th straight league victory when they visit Cagliari on Saturday.
Leading the Italian top flight ahead of a large chasing pack, La Dea suffered a rare European defeat in midweek; meanwhile, their hosts are engaged in a battle at the bottom.
Match preview
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With 11 more points on the board than at this stage last season, Atalanta have ascended to the Serie A summit by setting a new club best after 15 league matches.
As Napoli slipped up while the Nerazzurri beat Lombardy rivals AC Milan last weekend, they took top spot at the end of a matchday for only the second time since Calcio's top tier returned to 20 teams back in 2004.
In a tightly-packed table, Gian Piero Gasperini's men lead the way by two points, after the latest goals for prolific partners Charles De Ketelaere and Ademola Lookman proved enough to slay Milan in Bergamo.
That success took their Serie A success streak up to nine, matching a record run set between February and July 2020; however, momentum was then stalled by Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Atalanta had gone unbeaten through their first five matches of the league phase, leaving them well-placed to claim a precious top-eight finish, but they trailed to the reigning European champions after 10 minutes and could never quite get their noses in front.
De Ketelaere and Lookman both scored again in a 3-2 home defeat, but last term's Europa League winners will have little time to reflect, as their quest to claim a first Scudetto resumes on Saturday.
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Last season, Atalanta and Cagliari won one game apiece, which followed a trend set between the two clubs since 2013. They last drew in Serie A almost 12 years ago; since then, La Dea lead 10 wins to eight.
Cagliari came out on top in the teams' most recent meeting, with a 2-1 home victory in April helping the Sardinian side stay afloat in the Italian top flight.
Another long relegation fight looms for the Rossoblu this term, as last week's 1-0 defeat to in-form Fiorentina saw them slip to within two points of the drop zone.
Compared to this time last year, when beloved club legend Claudio Ranieri was still in charge, they have actually accrued one more point under current coach Davide Nicola.
His side are amid a particularly tough run of fixtures, as after meeting Fiorentina and Atalanta they are set to face Juventus in the Coppa Italia next Tuesday, when a place in the quarter-finals will be at stake.
Team News
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After starting a couple of games on the bench, Atalanta's top scorer - and Capocannoniere rankings leader - Mateo Retegui may return to La Dea's lineup this weekend.
If so, support would be provided by Charles De Ketelaere and Ademola Lookman, the latter of whom is closing in on his 50th goal involvement in Serie A (49 so far: 32 goals and 17 assists). Since Lookman's league debut in August 2022, only Lautaro Martinez has managed more (61).
Gian Piero Gasperini will again be without the services of Gianluca Scamacca and Juan Cuadrado, while Italy defender Giorgio Scalvini is a doubt, but Davide Zappacosta has returned from a layoff and could be involved.
Meanwhile, Cagliari appear to be blessed with a clean bill of health, as Gianluca Lapadula is back in full training after missing last week's trip to Florence.
Atalanta-owned striker Roberto Piccoli - a product of the Bergamo club's primavera - should lead the hosts' attack, though it remains to be seen whether inconsistent winger Zito Luvumbo will be recalled to the starting XI.
Cagliari possible starting lineup:
Carnesecchi; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Bellanova, De Roon, Ederson, Ruggeri; De Ketelaere, Lookman; Retegui
Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:
Sherri; Zappa, Mina, Luperto, Augello; Adopo, Makoumbou; Zortea, Gaetano, Luvumbo; Piccoli
We say: Cagliari 0-2 Atalanta BC
Although their schedule is packed - and Gasperini rarely rotates his squad - Atalanta should still have enough gas in the tank to beat Cagliari.
The home side have weaknesses at both ends of the pitch, while their high-flying visitors are riding the crest of a wave.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
