Two teams in dire need of an overdue Serie A success will meet in Bergamo on Sunday evening, as Atalanta BC play host to surprise strugglers Fiorentina.
Though La Dea’s midweek win in Europe relieved a little pressure, the Viola lost again on Thursday and are mired in a full-blown crisis.
Match preview
Atalanta’s continental results stand in stark contrast to their domestic form, having followed up on beating Marseille at Stade Velodrome by sweeping Eintracht Frankfurt aside in Germany.
On Wednesday night, Ademola Lookman’s breakthrough strike set La Dea off on a three-goal blitz across just five second-half minutes, and Eintracht were unable to respond.
Victory for new boss Raffaele Palladino, on his Champions League debut, leaves them in contention for at least a knockout playoff – Atalanta now sit 10th in the table, higher than their ranking in Serie A.
Despite a turbulent start domestically, the Nerazzurri are well placed to progress, while only Inter Milan, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain have kept more clean sheets in UEFA’s top competition since the start of last season.
However, back in Italy’s top flight, they have accrued just 13 points after 12 matchdays – representing the club’s worst start since 2014 – and their last win dates back to September.
Under Palladino and his predecessor Ivan Juric, the Bergamaschi are winless in eight Serie A matches, and the last time they waited longer for a win was back in 2016.
After losing 3-1 to reigning champions Napoli last week, Palladino will try to get off the mark against his old club this weekend, having won 24 of 51 games in charge of Fiorentina last season.
© Imago / Gribaudi
While Atalanta are languishing in mid-table, Fiorentina lie near the foot of Serie A, following last week’s 1-1 home draw with old foes Juventus.
Having posted their lowest-ever points tally at this stage of a campaign, the Tuscan club last won a league game in May.
Without victory across the first 12 matchdays, the last team to avoid relegation after making such a start was Cagliari some 20 years ago, so new coach Paolo Vanoli’s first task is to secure safety.
The ex-Torino boss has not made much impact so far, following two domestic draws with defeat in the Conference League earlier this week.
Producing just two shots on target at Stadio Franchi, the Viola were beaten 1-0 by AEK Athens, stretching their overall winless streak to seven matches – as a result, the two-time finalists sit 17th.
Worryingly, Fiorentina – who have conceded the most set-piece goals in Serie A this season (10) – are struggling at both ends of the pitch, with high-profile strikers Moise Kean and Edin Dzeko also failing to fire.
Atalanta BC Serie A form:
D D D L L L
Atalanta BC form (all competitions):
D L W L L W
Fiorentina Serie A form:
L D L L D D
Fiorentina form (all competitions):
L L L D D L
Team News
© Imago / Gribaudi/ImagePhoto
Though Atalanta face a packed fixture schedule, Palladino will surely save any major changes for next week’s Coppa Italia clash with Genoa.
Only Giorgio Scalvini, who is close to completing his recovery from an adductor issue, and long-term absentee Mitchel Bakker are currently unavailable.
La Dea’s front line should be led by either Nikola Krstovic or Gianluca Scamacca, the latter of whom found the net as a second-half substitute last weekend.
There are several men vying to support La Dea’s lone striker, but Lookman is set to start after nearing his best form on Wednesday; the Nigeria international has also been directly involved in six goals across five previous games against Fiorentina.
While Atalanta’s attack is starting to find some confidence, the visitors are scratching around for a regular source of goals: Kean has scored just twice for his club this term after recording 25 top-flight strikes in 2024-25.
Though Dzeko has previously scored nine times against Sunday’s opponents in Serie A, the 38-year-old frontman has failed to notch a single league goal since moving to Florence in the summer.
Not only is another misfiring striker, Bergamo-born Atalanta youth graduate Roberto Piccoli, struggling with an ankle problem, Vanoli will be without Robin Gosens – also formerly with La Dea. Christian Kouame and Tariq Lamptey are still sidelined; Dodo is a doubt.
Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:
Carnesecchi; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Bellanova, De Roon, Ederson, Zalewski; De Ketelaere, Lookman; Scamacca
Fiorentina possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Pongracic, Mari, Ranieri; Fortini, Fagioli, Mandragora, Sohm, Parisi; Gudmundsson, Kean
We say: Atalanta BC 2-0 Fiorentina
Highlighting their decline since vying for the Scudetto midway through last season, Atalanta have won just three of 17 Serie A home matches in 2025.
However, they are perfectly placed to pile more misery on an ailing Fiorentina side, having found a missing spark on Champions League duty.
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