Atalanta vs Juventus: Preview and Prediction

Atalanta vs Juventus
2016/17 Italian Serie A.
Date: Friday, 28th April 2017
Kick-Off: 19:45 UK,
Venue: Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia (Bergamo).

A high-flying Atalanta will be hoping to make it a sixth game sans defeat, but La Dea will be up against history as they welcome reigning champs Juventus on Friday evening.

Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have had a very impressive season to date, and are in definite contention to secure a Europa League spot. However, their record against Juventus is disappointing to say the least. The last time they defeated the Bianconeri was back in February 2001 and since then, they have managed to earn a measly two points from their past 24 meetings.

In addition, not only have Juve won their last 13 Serie A fixtures against La Dea, but have also won their last nine on the road. Still, all of Juve’s defeats have been in their travels, and Atalanta are undefeated in their last 8 home matches. That being said, Massimiliano Allegri’s last away defeat was to Fiorentina, and that was back on January 15th.

Both teams come into this game having won their respective fixtures. Atalanta successfully saw off Bologna to rebound after two draws, whilst Juventus cruised to an easy 4-0 win over Genoa. For the Bianconeri, their attentions will be focused elsewhere. Looming on the horizon is a crunch clash against Monaco, who have been absolutely brilliant this season, and with that in mind, Allegri could opt to rest some key players in order to have his strongest starting XI available for the semi-finals first leg.

Meanwhile, Atalanta, who presently sit in fifth spot, could temporarily overtake Lazio with what would be a shock win. Can they pull it off in front of their home fans on Friday evening?

Atalanta vs Juventus: Head-to-head statistics

• Atalanta have a record of W7-D5-L8 in their last 20 home games against teams ranked above them in the table.
• Juventus have a record of W13-D2-L5 in their last 20 away games against teams ranked below them in the table.
• Juventus have won their last 13 Serie A games against Atalanta.
• The Bianconeri have scored at least two goals in 11 of these meetings.
• La Dea have not beaten Juventus since February 2001.
• Since then, Atalanta have gained only two points in 24 meetings.
• Juventus have won all of their last nine away Serie A games against Atalanta.
• La Vecchia Signora have conceded just one goal in their last five away fixtures against La Dea.
• Juventus have scored at least 2 goals in their last 6 matches against Atalanta in all competitions.

Atalanta vs Juventus: Prediction

Atalanta have been truly this season’s surprise package, and a big part of that is their solid home record. La Dea have netted in all of their past seven games against the top four sides (Juventus, Roma, Napoli, and Lazio) and given the fact that they have scored in nearly 90 per cent of their home games, we can expect them to do the same against visiting Juventus on Friday.

Still, despite some rotations, Juventus are not expected to mix things up too much in attack, and with the likes of Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic, and Gonzalo Higuain in their ranks, will be likely too much for Atalanta’s back line. Juventus have scored in their last 24 Serie A games and are highly unlikely to suddenly start firing blanks in this game.