Serie A Preview: Roma vs Atalanta – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Serie A Gameweek 14 caps off on Monday with a mouth-watering showdown between in-trouble Roma and in-form Atalanta. Desperate to turn the corner amid a disastrous campaign, Claudio Ranieri’s charges return to the Stadio Olimpico with renewed confidence following a decent result in midweek UEFA Europa League action.

Veteran defender Mats Hummels went from flop to top in Thursday’s heavyweight clash against Tottenham Hotspur. After conceding an early penalty to hand Spurs the lead, the ex-Borussia Dortmund stalwart notched a last-gasp equalizer to salvage a 2-2 draw for Roma.

Evan Ndicka was also on the scoresheet, saving Ranieri’s blushes following Roma’s embarrassing performance on his Serie A touchline debut against Napoli last weekend. Ex-Giallorossi center-forward Romelu Lukaku scored a well-deserved winner for the Partenopei, condemning Roma to their fifth defeat in six league matches.

While their hosts remain stranded in the lower reaches, Atalanta could finally make a quantum leap this season and take home a first-ever Scudetto. Firmly embroiled in the title race, Gian Piero Gasperini’s high-flyers dismantled newly promoted Parma 3-1 at Stadio Artemio Franchi a week ago, keeping a one-point distance of leaders Napoli.

Reluctant to rest on their laurels, Atalanta threw a spectacle in Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League away game against Young Boys. Charles De Ketelaere ran the show in Bern as La Dea trounced the Swiss champions 6-1. With two goals and three assists, the Belgian forward almost single-handedly tore Joel Magnin’s side apart to keep La Dea in contention for automatic knockout qualification.

Match Preview

Roma

Roma’s miserable three-game losing league streak in the lead-up to this contest hardly makes for good reading as the hosts risk being left out of the European race already in December. Stuck a whopping 12 points adrift of sixth-placed Juventus, the Giallorossi must find a way out of this full-blown crisis to reignite their lofty pre-season ambitions.

Confidence could come from their decent home form. Roma have won four of their last seven competitive matches at the Olimpico (D1, L2). However, it’s worth noting that both defeats in that sequence arrived against 2023/24 top-five finishers Bologna and Inter, casting doubt on their bid to topple last season’s fourth-placed team.

Slow out of the blocks, Roma have conceded the opening goal in four of their last five outings across all competitions, hence a rotten five-game winless patch (D2, L3). Another sluggish start could cost them dearly against Atalanta’s free-flowing attack.

But since they’re one of only two Serie A teams yet to score within 15 minutes this term, it’s hard to expect Roma to get this encounter off to a flyer.

Atalanta

Adding to this sentiment, Atalanta netted a league-high six goals in the opening 15 minutes at the end of Matchday 13, highlighting Gasperini’s aggressive approach from the get-go. Such an attitude has vastly improved the visitors’ title chances, with La Dea boasting the division’s best scoring record at the start of this round.

Though they’ve racked up a jaw-dropping 34 goals, only 14 arrived on the road. However, that hasn’t prevented Atalanta from stitching together a three-game winning league streak on the road. This achievement is part of a broader run of six consecutive away victories across all competitions, each secured by a decisive multi-goal margin.

Making it seven on the bounce could prove a tall order at the Olimpico, but Gasperini’s lads have fared outstandingly on this ground, losing just once on their last ten visits to Roma’s home venue (W4, D5). That said, since a 2-0 triumph in September 2019, they’ve failed to score more than once in four successive away league meetings with the Giallorossi (W1, D2, L1).

Team News

Ranieri subbed Roma standout performer Paulo Dybala at halftime in London. However, it was only a precautionary measure. The Argentine is fit and ready for this match. The same goes for Alexis Saelemaekers, who made a late cameo appearance against Tottenham following a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

This game will come too early for Mario Hermoso, while prodigious midfielder Niccolo Pisilli serves a one-game ban for accumulated yellow cards.

On the other hand, Atalanta will make this journey without long-term absentee Gianluca Scamacca. The Italian striker is the only missing player in the visiting camp after captain Rafael Toloi and up-and-coming Giorgio Scalvini overcame their niggling injury problems.

A lack of match fitness means Davide Zapaccosta will likely stay on the bench in favor of Raoul Bellanova, while Nicolo Zaniolo could face his former side.

Roma vs Atalanta Potential Starting Line-ups

Roma (3-4-2-1): Svilar; Mancini, Hummels, Ndicka; Celik, Kone, Pellegrini, Angelino; Dybala, El Shaarawy; Dovbyk.

Atalanta (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Bellanova, Ederson, De Roon, Ruggeri; De Ketelaere, Lookman; Retegui.

Roma vs Atalanta Prediction

Despite Roma’s significant form woes, they’re capable of halting Atalanta’s momentum. However, it seems no one can touch Gasperini’s charges these days as we back La Dea to maintain their rich vein of form and pour more misery on the downtrodden Giallorossi.