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

Monzavs.Atalanta

sportsmole.co.uk, 19 April 2024, 16:36
After completing the job in Europe, Atalanta BC must go again in Serie A, as they continue their quest for a top-six finish in Sunday's clash with mid-table Monza.

While La Dea bravely slayed Liverpool over two legs in the Europa League quarter-finals, recent results have left them unsure of a place in continental competition next season.

Match preview

Having silenced Anfield with a stunning 3-0 success in England, Atalanta held firm during Thursday's second leg back on Italian soil, only conceding via Mohamed Salah's early penalty, and they ultimately swept through to meet Marseille in next month's Europa League semi-finals.

Long-serving coach Gian Piero Gasperini has taken the plaudits for engineering a notable victory, but such a wily campaigner will not take time to rest on his laurels, given La Dea's situation in Serie A.

After previously putting together five straight wins in the league, Atalanta have won only one of their last seven top-flight matches, and they let a two-goal lead slip in a 2-2 home draw with lowly Hellas Verona on Monday evening.

Goals from Ederson and in-form striker Gianluca Scamacca had put the Bergamo club in control of matters at the Gewiss Stadium, but they subsequently conceded twice after the break to spill two precious points.

Occupying sixth place - now eight points off the top four - Gasperini's side do still have a game in hand on several rivals, and fifth spot could prove enough to secure a cherished Champions League return, depending on Italy's club coefficient.

Once they have made the short trip to Monza this weekend, Atalanta will be back at home for the conclusion of their Coppa Italia semi-final tie against Fiorentina, when they will be tasked with overturning a 1-0 first-leg deficit.

That is perhaps just as well for the Bergamaschi's cup hopes, as they rank only ninth for away points accumulated this term, with a goal difference of zero when on the road.

After Atalanta came out on top in September's reverse fixture, as Scamacca scored twice in Bergamo, Monza are yet to pick up a point from their regional rivals since finally achieving promotion to Serie A.

There have been three defeats from three so far, with an overall score of 10-2 against the Biancorossi, who have now won just one of their last 10 league games against La Dea - and none since 1999.

Targeting a top-half finish next month, Raffaele Palladino's side sit just one point behind 10th-placed Fiorentina with six games remaining, although the Viola still have one game in hand.

While a goalless draw away to high-flying Bologna represented an acceptable result last weekend, Monza failed to muster a single shot on target and sacrificed most of the ball at Stadio Dall'Ara.

That leaves them with only one point from their last three matches, and another failure on Sunday evening would see them go four league games without a win for the first time since September.

Monza Serie A form:

L

W

W

L

L

D

Atalanta BC Serie A form:

L

L

D

W

L

D

Atalanta BC form (all competitions):

W

L

L

W

D

L

Team News

Amid a hectic schedule, Gian Piero Gasperini is set to make changes to his starting XI this weekend, when only Italy defender Giorgio Scalvini will be absent from Atalanta's squad, due to a hamstring injury.

Ademola Lookman, Charles De Ketelaere and Mario Pasalic are among several men pushing for promotion from the bench, but 11-goal top scorer Teun Koopmeiners is one player likely to be retained: he has been directly involved in five league goals against Monza to date - with four coming in a single match, last June.

As Marten De Roon and Davide Zappacosta served their domestic suspensions on Monday, both will be available for selection.

Meanwhile, Matteo Pessina - who made his Serie A debut for Atalanta - will captain Monza from midfield, joining top scorer Andrea Colpani in the supporting cast for target-man Milan Djuric.

The hosts will be without several squad members on Sunday: Gianluca Caprari is yet to return from his serious knee injury, Samuele Vignato has a thigh problem and fellow forward Dany Mota is still struggling with a sprained ankle.

In addition, Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro must serve a suspension for yellow-card accumulation, so Bergamo-born Atalanta youth product Roberto Gagliardini should start against his former club.

Monza possible starting lineup:

Di Gregorio; Birindelli, Izzo, Mari, A. Carboni; Bondo, Gagliardini; Colpani, Pessina, Maldini; Djuric

Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:

Carnesecchi; Toloi, Djimsiti, Kolasinac; Holm, De Roon, Ederson, Ruggeri; Koopmeiners, Lookman; Scamacca

We say: Monza 2-2 Atalanta BC

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".