Clash for Top: Atalanta vs Napoli Game Analysis and Odds
Defending Champions Head to Bergamo
Winner Occupies Top Four Spot
Neither Atalanta nor Napoli were able to grab all three points on the last Serie A Matchday before the November international break. Atalanta drew with Udinese, while Napoli fell to Empoli, who managed to escape the relegation zone. Following the loss, Napoli sacked Rudi Garcia and replaced him with veteran coach Walter Mazzari. Now, Atalanta host Napoli with both teams looking to bounce back on Saturday. For Mazzari’s first game in charge of the Partenopei, stay tuned for our Atalanta vs Napoli game analysis and the latest odds.
Atalanta vs Napoli
Day/Time:
Location: AGewiss Stadium, Bergamo, Italy
Head-to-Head
These teams met twice on the Serie A schedule last season and champions Napoli completed a sweep of Atalanta. Napoli are on a three-game winning streak vs Atalanta, with road wins in Bergamo in each of the last two seasons. The Partenopei have also scored at least twice in their last six Serie A games vs Atalanta. Both teams have also scored in five of the last Serie A meetings.
Atalanta Short on Defenders
Only Inter Milan, Juventus and Bologna have conceded fewer goals than Atalanta this season. However, La Dea have conceded three goals in their last two games and drew 1-1 with Udinese last time out. Udinese won a penalty in the first half but Isaac Success hit the post. Hosts Udinese ended up opening the scoring on a heavily-deflected shot and it took until second half stoppage time for Atalanta’s Ederson to score an equalizer.
With the draw, Atalanta remained in fifth place in the Serie A standings and are just one point behind Napoli. They’re also a solid 3-1-1 at the Gewiss Stadium so far this season. Still, La Dea have won just two of their last six Serie A games. Our Atalanta vs Napoli game analysis would also be incomplete without mentioning all of the hosts’ injuries. Emil Holm, Rafael Toloi, Giorgio Scalvini, Charles De Ketelaere, Matteo Ruggeri and Jose Luis Palomino could all miss out on Saturday. Meanwhile, midfielder Marten de Roon is suspended for the match.
Due to injuries, De Roon had to play out of position at center back in the match at Udinese. Now, Gian Piero Gasperini will likely have to play a wing back as one of his three center back alongside Berat Djimsiti and Sead Kolasinac. With the likes of Gianluca Scamacca, Ademola Lookman, Ederson and Teun Koopmeiners, La Dea do pose a threat on the other side of the pitch.
Napoli Loss Forces Coaching Change
Napoli’s Rudi Garcia experiment only ended up lasting a few months. Garcia replaced title-winning coach Luciano Spalletti, which was always going to be a tough task. Still, the results were subpar as Garcia lost three home matches from six. Last season, Napoli only lost twice in Serie A at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. Now, Walter Mazzari, who led Napoli to a second-place finish in 2012-13, is back for a second spell in charge.
The last straw for Garcia was a 1-0 loss to Empoli just before the international break. To be fair, Napoli, sans Victor Osimhen, did create a bunch of chances. However, Empoli goalkeeper Etrit Berisha had an excellent match and made save after save. Empoli’s Viktor Kovalenko also scored a wonder goal in second half stoppage time. While Napoli have been a poor pick for betting on soccer at home, they’re an unbeaten 4-2-0 on the road this season.
This match kicks off a difficult spell of games for the Partenopei, as they take on Atalanta, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Juventus in the span of two weeks. Getting star striker Victor Osimhen back from injury should help matters but it’s unclear whether he’ll suit up this weekend. Meanwhile, Piotr Zielinski is overcoming a virus and goalkeeper Alex Meret and defender Mario Rui are out injured.
Match Analysis & Odds
Our Atalanta vs Napoli game analysis notes that Napoli’s formation could change under new coach Mazzari. He likes to employ a 3-5-2 and that could mean added defensive responsibility for talented winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The Georgian could also play in a more central attacking midfield or forward role at times. Regardless, both Serie A teams are attacking-minded and that could mean goals on Saturday.
Currently, over 2.5 goals show -120 odds for the match. Despite the coaching change, Napoli are slight +160 road favorites while Atalanta sit at +165 odds. While Osimhen could remain out for Napoli, Atalanta are more impacted by injuries and suspensions on the whole. Bettors can also take a draw at +250 odds for this one.
In what’s expected to be a close match, Atalanta pk is priced at -105 odds and Napoli pk comes in at -115. Napoli have won on the road at Atalanta in each of the last two Serie A seasons, andit’ll be interesting to see if the Partenopei benefit from the “new coach bump”.
For Serie A betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
