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

Preview: Atalanta BC vs. Monza - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 2 June 2023, 10:17
Aiming to secure fifth place in Serie A with a win, Atalanta BC play host to mid-table Monza on Sunday, in their final fixture of the season.

Despite falling short in the quest for a Champions League return, the Bergamaschi can guarantee Europa League qualification by beating regional rivals who have defied expectation to seek a top-half finish.

Match preview

After suffering their second 3-2 defeat to Inter this season, Atalanta can no longer break into Serie A's top four, and last week's loss at San Siro leaves them vulnerable to finishing as low as seventh in the final standings.

Should La Dea lose at home to Monza, victories for Juventus and Roma would see such a slip occur; slightly spoiling a season which promised much at certain stages - Gian Piero Gasperini's men sat second behind Napoli a few months ago.

More recently, Atalanta have lost three of their last four matches - the same number of defeats as in the previous 10 - so a spot in either the Europa League or Europa Conference League will have to suffice.

The Nerazzurri have at least started to improve a sub-par home record of late, with four wins resulting from their last six outings at the Gewiss Stadium - though they have conceded at least once on each occasion.

This term, a change in style has seen Gasperini's side score 61 goals in the league - their lowest tally for five years - but ship only 46 at the other end, which is also their fewest since 2017-18.

As their coach's cryptic media messages have left doubts around whether his seven-year reign will continue, or if he will depart Bergamo for a new challenge, uncertainty reigns. If this is to be the end, then 'Gasp' will want to sign off in style with victory this weekend.

Having long been the junior partner in the teams' relationship, Monza have lost six of their last seven meetings with Atalanta, with the most pertinent being September's reverse fixture, when they suffered a 2-0 home defeat to their fellow Lombardy club.

Much has changed since then, as the Biancorossi have been a team transformed under rookie coach Raffaele Palladino, who led his side to victory over Juventus in his first game in charge and then never looked back.

After subsequent wins over Inter, Napoli and Juventus again, Monza are in the mix for a top-10 finish at the end of their Serie A debut season, following promotion through the playoffs this time last year.

Under the watch of Palladino, the upwardly mobile outfit have accrued 52 points already, and should they beat Atalanta they would post the second-best tally of any promoted side throughout the three-points-for-a-win era; Juve returned to the top flight with a total of 72 points in 2007-08.

Ending an seven-game unbeaten run - started by beating Inter 1-0 at San Siro - Monza endured a rare setback last week, when Giulio Donati was dismissed late on against Lecce, who then produced a stoppage-time strike to take all three points back down to Salento; securing their survival in the process.

However, Palladino's men have remained undefeated in their last six away matches ahead of Sunday's season finale, and that represents the best such run of any promoted team for some 23 years.

Atalanta BC Serie A form:

W

W

L

L

W

L

Monza Serie A form:

W

D

D

W

W

L

Team News

A long injury list has undermined Atalanta's hopes of sneaking into the top four, and Duvan Zapata, Brandon Soppy, Jose Luis Palomino, Matteo Ruggeri and Hans Hateboer will all be absent again on Sunday evening.

Jeremie Boga, though, may be passed fit for a return to the bench, as Gian Piero Gasperini most likely names a similar side to that which lost in Milan last week.

Up front, in-demand striker Rasmus Hojlund will be looking to add to his Serie A tally of eight goals this season, with Ademola Lookman and Luis Muriel both battling for a place alongside the Danish forward.

Meanwhile, Monza will have Luca Caldirola back in the fold this weekend, as the centre-back returns from suspension; however, Giulio Donati must now serve a ban following his red card against Lecce.

In midfield, Matteo Pessina played 67 Serie A matches for Atalanta, scoring three goals, and now returns to the Gewiss Stadium as captain of his boyhood club.

Carlos Augusto and Patrick Ciurria should line up on either flank, having both netted six times to lead the Biancorossi's scoring charts this term.

Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:

Sportiello; Toloi, Djimsiti, Scalvini; Zappacosta, De Roon, Koopmeiners, Maehle; Pasalic; Lookman, Hojlund

Monza possible starting lineup:

Di Gregorio; Izzo, Mari, Caldirola; Ciurria, Pessina, Rovella, Augusto; Mota, Caprari; Petagna

We say: Atalanta BC 1-1 Monza

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".