Atalanta vs Juventus

May 7, 2013
By: Nemanja Lazarevic

Atalanta will have the honour to host new Serie A champions Juventus, with the hosts at a safe distance from the relegation positions in spite of the defeat at Parma. Having clinched the league title with a home win over Palermo, the Bianconeri will want to extend their winning run in the league to nine games and further improve their point tally.

Atalanta should be safe

Having had to contend with point deductions twice since they returned to the top flight, Atalanta have done well to avoid the relegation tussle alltogether, although the dismal finish to the current campaign almost ruined their entire season. It appears the players have relaxed when it was almost certain Orobici would survive, with the team winning just one of last seven games. Following a four-match winless run, Stefano Colantuono’s side sit seven points clear of the relegation zone with just three games to go, meaning they should be safe even if they lose all the remaining games. Atalanta will, nonetheless, attempt to avoid such a scenario, although they may have problems in their attempt to return to winning ways against Juventus. It is perfectly clear the team are far from the desired form and with several players missing, they clearly face an uphill task. It is also important to note that Atalanta have won just once in last nine league fixtures at home.

Igor Budan is doubtful with a knee problem, while Guido Marilungo, Franco Brienza, Stefano Lucchini and Riccardo Cazzola are out injured.

Can anyone stop Juventus?

After winning their second successive league title, Juventus have become the team to beat in Italy, and as things stand now it looks as though this is only a sign of things to come. Club’s ambitious project has already produced excellent results, but the Bianconeri officials are determined to continue reinforcing the squad and lure more world-class players to Turin. One would think that Antonio Conte’s side don’t need any more high-profile players, although the 4-0 aggregate defeat to Bayern in the Champions League would suggest otherwise. Even so, as far as domestic stage is concerned, Juventus don’t really have worthy opponents there, as witnessed by the eight-match winning run in Serie A. After celebrating the title with a 1-0 victory over Palermo, the Bianconeri are looking to keep the rich vein of form and prove everyone why they are considered the best side in Italy. With Antonio Conte likely to field a very strong line-up, Juventus look a good bet to see off out-of-sorts Atalanta.

Paul Pogba misses out through suspension, whereas Simone Pepe is the only player in the infirmary at the moment.

Verdict

Atalanta have been on a major downtrend for quite a while and they don’t look like they can stop in-form Juventus in their tracks. The Bianconeri have not only won eight games in a row, but they have conceded just two goals in the process, which gives them reason to hope the trend is going to continue at Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia.

Top pick: Away win   2.10 (11/10) @ Coral

Alternative pick 1: Under 2.5 goals   1.91 (10/11) @ William Hill

Alternative pick 2: Juventus to win to nil   3.60 (13/5) @ Paddy Power

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