Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Atalantavs.Torino

sportsmole.co.uk, 24 May 2024, 18:51
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

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 will 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.

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.

Atalanta BC Serie A form:

D

W

W

W

W

W

Atalanta BC form (all competitions):

W

W

W

L

W

W

Torino Serie A form:

D

D

L

D

W

W

Team News

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 and Marten De Roon is still sidelined by a thigh strain sustained in last week's Coppa Italia defeat; 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 could well name an unchanged side following a fine win over Milan, as only Nikola Vlasic (thigh), Gvidas Gineitis (knee) and Perr Schuurs (ACL) are unavailable for Toro's season finale.

Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:

Carnesecchi; Toloi, Djimsiti, Scalvini; Zappacosta, Ederson, Pasalic, Ruggeri; Koopmeiners, Lookman; Scamacca

Torino possible starting lineup:

Milinkovic-Savic; Tameze, Buongiorno, Masina; Bellanova, Ilic, Linetty, Rodriguez; Ricci; Pellegri, Zapata

We say: Atalanta BC 1-0 Torino

Previews by email

Top News

14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Kazakhstan vs. Austria (Thursday, 3.00pm) Amid a three-way battle for promotion from League B Group 3, Austria aim to improve their prospects with a win on Thursday, when they meet Kazakhstan in the UEFA Nations League. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Athletico Paranaense can temporarily climb out of the Brasileiro Serie A relegation zone with a victory over Atletico Mineiro on Saturday at Arena de Baixada. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England interim manager Lee Carsley has played down Harry Kane's strong words about the withdrawal of many of his teammates, insisting he is looking forward to working with other players who also deserve a chance. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly fearful that Lisandro Martinez could spend an extended spell on the sidelines with the hip injury that has forced him to withdraw from Argentina duty. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sporting Lisbon wing-back Maximiliano Araujo has hinted that he hopes to join Pep Guardiola at Manchester City in the near future. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Morocco will be looking to maintain their 100% record in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers when they visit the Stade de Franceville to take on Gabon on Friday. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk San Marino will hope to leapfrog Gibraltar and prevent them from earning promotion from their UEFA Nations League D group when they welcome them to Stadio Olimpico di Serravalle on Friday. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk In their fifth UEFA Nations League C match of 2024-25, Northern Ireland are set to host Belarus on Friday at Windsor Park, with victory enough to guarantee a place in the top two. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Zimbabwe will be hoping to book their place at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations when they face Kenya on matchday five of qualifying this Friday at the Peter Mokaba Stadium. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United could reportedly move for Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite and Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez during next summer's transfer window. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool should arguably be considered favourites for Premier League glory after they took charge of the title race last weekend when they beat Aston Villa 2-0 at Anfield and moved five points ahead of second-placed Manchester City. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Burnley could reportedly offer Ruud van Nistelrooy the chance to make a swift return to English football, with the Clarets interested in bringing him in as their new manager. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Cristiano Ronaldo is set to lead Portugal out in Porto when they face Poland in the UEFA Nations League on Friday night. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England captain Harry Kane has expressed his disappointment at the number of players to have withdrawn from the Three Lions squad for their UEFA Nations League fixtures with Greece and Republic of Ireland. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona centre-back Pau Cubarsi has been handed a call-up to the Spain squad for the national team's November international fixtures against Denmark and Switzerland in the UEFA Nations League. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid youngster Marc Cucalon has been forced to retire from professional football at the age of 19 due to a serious knee injury which he suffered in the latter stages of 2022. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have revealed that Ansu Fati has been ruled out for around four weeks with a hamstring injury. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Portugal manager Roberto Martinez is facing a crisis at centre-back ahead of their UEFA Nations League clash with Poland in Porto on Friday night. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Portugal welcome Poland to Porto on matchday five of the UEFA Nations League on Friday night. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has said that it is "the right moment" for Ruben Amorim to arrive at Old Trafford, claiming that the Portuguese "did something very special" at Sporting Lisbon. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal defender Ben White has apparently gone under the knife to treat a joint issue in his knee, which will sideline the Englishman for around two months. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have reportedly identified Al-Nassr centre-back Aymeric Laporte and Tottenham Hotspur right-back Pedro Porro as two of their top defensive targets for 2025. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly among three Premier League clubs interested in FC Nordsjaelland full-back Daniel Svensson. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly among three Premier League clubs interested in FC Nordsjaelland full-back Daniel Svensson. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Botswana will host Mauritania in their penultimate 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at Francistown Stadium on Friday. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia has provided a positive injury update ahead of potentially representing Belgium. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Scotland's stay in the UEFA Nations League's top tier could be brought to its end on Friday, when they face an almost must-win game against League A Group 1 rivals Croatia. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Lamine Yamal is among a number of absentees for Spain, as the national side conclude their 2024-25 UEFA Nations League group-stage campaign with fixtures against Denmark and Switzerland. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Spain will be bidding to secure top spot in Group 4 of League A in the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League when they head to Denmark on Friday evening for what is shaping up to be an intriguing affair. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Brighton & Hove Albion forward Danny Welbeck has claimed that speculation regarding a potential return to Manchester United is "irrelevant".