After enjoying their finest hour in Europe, Atalanta BC play the penultimate game of their league season on Sunday, when Torino pay a visit to Bergamo.
Crowned Europa League champions in midweek, La Dea can finish no lower than fifth in Serie A and could yet claim third; meanwhile, Toro must win to keep alive slim hopes of qualifying for continental competition.
Match preview
© Reuters
By beating an 'invincible' Bayer Leverkusen side in Dublin, Atalanta's 61-year wait for a trophy was finally ended on Wednesday evening, with a tactical masterclass from veteran coach Gian Piero Gasperini being backed up by his players' superb performance.
The Bergamaschi pressed high and dominated in midfield, while Ademola Lookman fired in a clinical hat-trick to win the Europa League final, only a week after they had succumbed to Juventus in a Coppa Italia decider for the second time in four years.
Their return to Bergamo was greeted with delight by thousands, but Atalanta still have two domestic fixtures to fulfil, as after Sunday's game they must play Europa Conference League finalists Fiorentina in a postponed match that proved particularly troublesome to reschedule.
Winning both will take La Dea above Bologna and Juventus to finish third behind the Milan clubs; incidentally, that would have consequences for sixth-placed Roma, who are relying on Atalanta to stay put in fifth, thereby sending six Italian teams into next term's Champions League.
Buoyed by such success this season, Gasperini's next aim will be to challenge for the Scudetto, and as only runaway champions Inter have posted higher points and goals rates during the second half of 2023-24, there must be a tinge of regret about his side's relatively sluggish start.
Last weekend, the Nerazzurri won 2-0 in Lecce thanks to goals from in-form forwards Gianluca Scamacca and Charles De Ketelaere, recording a fifth league win on the spin; they can now go six-in-a-row for the first time since 2021.
© Reuters
While Torino clearly face a tall task in their final fixture and have won just one of their last eight league meetings with Atalanta, the clubs' most recent encounter surprisingly finished 3-0 to the Granata in early December.
Repeating that feat at the Gewiss Stadium would ensure they wrap up ninth place - Napoli sit just one point behind - and if Fiorentina then win the Conference League, that would prove sufficient to secure a spot in UEFA competition.
Victorious in their last two league matches - against Hellas Verona and then Milan, whom they impressively beat 3-1 in Turin - Toro are now striving to post three successive wins in Serie A for the first time since 2019.
Well marshalled by head coach Ivan Juric, they can also match a longstanding club record by somehow shutting out La Dea's potent attack on Sunday evening - with no fewer than 18 already, they are currently one clean sheet shy of equalling a tally set by the class of 1976-77.
In a week when Alessandro Buongiorno, Samuele Ricci and Raoul Bellanova were all named in Italy's provisional squad for Euro 2024, spirits should therefore be high.
However, all is not well in the camp, as Juric prepares to meet his friend and mentor Gasperini having hinted he will leave at the end of the season, following a series of terse exchanges with Torino's top brass.
- D
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- L
- W
- W
- D
- D
- L
- D
- W
- W
Team News
© Reuters
It remains to be seen whether Gian Piero Gasperini will make many changes to the side that started Wednesday's career-defining success in Ireland, but some fringe players could see action this weekend.
Emil Holm is back in contention after a long layoff, but Sead Kolasinac aggravated an injury in the Europa League final, Ederson has a bruised knee and Marten De Roon is still sidelined by a thigh strain; furthermore, Hans Hateboer must serve a suspension.
Just named in Luciano Spalletti's Italy squad, Gianluca Scamacca has been directly involved in 17 league goals this season, and alongside midweek hat-trick hero Ademola Lookman, he features among Gasperini's formidable forward options.
Since the start of February, only Victor Osimhen has scored more in Serie A than La Dea duo Charles De Ketelaere and Teun Koopmeiners; meanwhile, Torino's ex-Atalanta striker Duvan Zapata has also posted seven goals during that period.
The Colombian has previously scored seven times in 10 matches against his former club - for whom he is still joint all-time top Serie A scorer, along with Cristiano Doni - and either Antonio Sanabria or Pietro Pellegri should partner him up front.
Ivan Juric has stated that Ricardo Rodriguez will not be fit enough to start, while Nikola Vlasic (thigh), Gvidas Gineitis (knee) and Perr Schuurs (ACL) are all unavailable for Toro's season finale.
Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:
Carnesecchi; Toloi, Djimsiti, Scalvini; Zappacosta, Koopmeiners, Pasalic, Ruggeri; Miranchuk, Lookman; Scamacca
Torino possible starting lineup:
Milinkovic-Savic; Tameze, Buongiorno, Masina; Bellanova, Ilic, Linetty, Lazaro; Ricci; Pellegri, Zapata
We say: Atalanta BC 1-0 Torino
Torino may be tough to beat, but they are far less effective on the road; as the away side will most likely lie deep, Atalanta can play their way into the game following a few days of celebration, before scoring once to post a sixth straight Serie A win.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.