Napoli vs Atalanta Lines, Serie A Match Preview
La Dea Slipping in Serie A
Napoli Unbeaten in Serie A Under Calzona
Atalanta haven’t won any of their last four Serie A matches heading into Saturday’s match at Napoli. La Dea have slipped from fourth place to sixth place and Napoli can overtake them by gaining all three points here. Meanwhile, Napoli are an unbeaten 2-3-0 in Serie A under interim coach Francesco Calzona and are not yet out of the Champions League race. With both sides needing a win here, we’ll go through the Napoli vs Atalanta lines.
Napoli vs Atalanta
Date, time:
Location: Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples, Italy
Napoli vs Atalanta Head-to-Head
Punters thinking about betting on Napoli vs Atalanta lines should know that Napoli have gotten better Serie A calcio results in this fixture lately. The Partenopei have won each of the last four matches, with three of those wins in Bergamo. Napoli won 2-1 as +175 underdogs at the Gewiss Stadium last November as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Eljif Elmas, now at RB Leipzig, got on the scoresheet. Atalanta last won in Naples in 2021.
Osimhen Expected to Return for Napoli
Napoli’s last match before the March international break was a road trip to Inter Milan. Inter took the lead in the first half when defenders Alessandro Bastoni and Matteo Darmian combined for a goal. The Nerazzurri weren’t able to put the game to bed and Napoli equalized in the 81st minute when Bastoni failed to clear a corner and Juan Jesus headed home at the back post. By grabbing a 1-1 draw, Napoli ended Inter Milan’s 10 game Serie A winning streak.
It’s also Napoli’s third 1-1 draw in five Serie A games under interim coach Calzona. Both teams have also scored in all seven of the Partenopei’s matches under Calzona, in all competitions. Victor Osimhen missed Napoli’s last match and wasn’t with Nigeria for the international break but he should be available on Saturday. The Partenopei enter the weekend in seventh place in the Serie A standings and are nine points behind fourth-placed Bologna. Napoli are two points behind Atalanta as well and can leapfrog La Dea with a win here.
Napoli have only scored once in each of their last three games overall and haven’t kept a clean sheet since late January. Despite only suiting up for 17 of Napoli’s 29 Serie A games this season, Osimhen ranks fifth in the league with 11 goals. He and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia form one of the most dynamic duos in Europe’s top five leagues. Kvara will be in action on Tuesday with Georgia in their Euro 2024 Qualifying Play-off Final vs. Greece. His status is worth monitoring here, along with any of Napoli’s other players in international action.
Attacking Pair Injured on International Duty for Atalanta
Atalanta’s last match on their Serie A schedule, vs. Fiorentina, was postponed because Fiorentina director Joe Barone fell suddenly ill. So, La Dea have a game in hand and are in sixth place, two points ahead of Napoli at the moment. Atalanta haven’t been in action since March 14th, when they took on Sporting in the second leg of the Europa League Round of 16. Atalanta fell behind 1-0 on the night, and 2-1 on aggregate, but they managed to pull things back.
Ademola Lookman scored less than 40 seconds into the second half as Ederson sent in a cross that Aleksei Miranchuk flicked on for the Nigerian to finish. Miranchuk provided his second assist of the night for Gianluca Scamacca, who sent Atalanta into the Quarter-Final, where they’ll take on Liverpool. In their last Serie A match, Atalanta drew 2-2 at Juventus as Teun Koopmeiners scored a brace for La Dea.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have conceded in six straight matches, in all competitions. They also haven’t won any of their last four Serie A games. Atalanta tend to be a boom or bust team but a loss or draw would mark their longest Serie A winless run of the season. Note that Charles De Ketelaere and Teun Koopmeiners got injured on international duty for Belgium and the Netherlands, respectively. They’re considered doubts for Saturday’s match.
Napoli vs Atalanta Match Analysis & Odds
If neither De Ketelaere nor Koopmeiners can play for Atalanta it’d certainly hurt their chances. The pair has been involved in 25 of La Dea’s 51 goals this season and are key players for Gasperini. Currently, the Napoli vs Atalanta lines price hosts Napoli as +110 favorites. Bettors can back Napoli pk, -0.5 at -125 odds and Atalanta pk, +0.5 sits at +105.
La Dea have also played quite poorly away from home this season. They’re just 4-4-6 on the road and are +260 underdogs for Saturday’s match. A draw is also priced at +260 but none of the last eight Serie A meetings have finished all square. Both teams have also scored in six of the last seven matchups, in all competitions.
Here, under 2.5, 3 goals come in at -120 odds, though. Atalanta have struggled to keep their Serie A opponents out lately, as they’ve allowed eight goals in their last three matches. If Kvaratskhelia and Osimhen can both suit up for Napoli, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Atalanta concede 2+ goals for a fourth straight Serie A game.
