Date: November 27, 2021
Time: 18:00 CET, 12:00 EST
It never matters how much Juventus may be struggling, it is always an enormous and important fixture when the Old Lady pops up on the calendar. Atalanta were finally able to get the Juventus monkey off its back, winning 1-0 last year against Juventus for the first time in decades. But in present times it matters more if that result is repeatable rather than resting on laurels. Juventus haven’t been their usual dominant self ever since the Sarri era, and the current squad under Massimiliano Allegri is no different. While Allegri’s squad is still one of the stingiest defensive squads in the league, his offense has struggled to find a reliable goal scorer after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Their offense has, in fact, been so anemic that Juventus is 12th in the league in goals scored – and defender Leonardo Bonucci is tied for the team lead in goals scored thanks to his success on penalties. But throw all that out the window! Atalanta’s defense has been spilling goals left and right recently – and now that La Dea is down to its final two wingbacks, Gasperini must ensure that the flanks are well covered. Easier said than done when La Dea will also be trying to squeeze by the well formed backline led by Matthijs de Ligt and Bonucci.
Juventus Player to Watch- Federico Chiesa
Señor Iglesia was a revelation at the Euros this past summer, and continues to be one of the most valuable players in Serie A (also heard that he may try out for the Italian diving team in the 2024 Olympics!). Chiesa has not yet replicated his summer form, or his form from last season, as he sits on a paltry one goal and one assist for the year. Nonetheless, he is an explosive player that can change a match instantaneously. Chiesa also has a pretty good record against Atalanta, whether it be in a Fiorentina or Juventus shirt, and this may have him licking his lips even more. Regardless if Chiesa is lined up on the left or right side, he’ll present loads of problems to either Djimsiti or Toloi – neither of whom can come anywhere close to matching him for pace.
Atalanta Passione’s Expected Starting XI
The most notable and dangerous proposition for Atalanta heading into Saturday is the frailty at wingback. After Davide Zappacosta’s injury against Young Boys, Atalanta is down to its final two wingers – with Robin Gosens and Hans Hateboer still not fully fit to participate. On the surface playing with Joakim Maehle and Giuseppe Pezzella is not the worst formation, but Pezzella will severely have his work cut out for him as he potentially will have to contend with the speed of Chiesa plus the trickery and dramatics of Juan Cuadrado. This feels like a match for Djimsiti to stay home a bit more and not fly up the pitch to offer as much support as possible on that left hand side.
In the middle, the double pivot should all come down to the health of Paolo Dybala. He has not featured in the past two matches for Juventus, and his status for Saturday is still up in the air. If Dybala plays, de Roon should start to essentially man mark and spy on the crafty Argentinian. Otherwise it may be wiser to put both Freuler and Koopmeiners in to offer as many options to contribute offense – as chances and opportunities will need to come from all areas on the pitch.
Atalanta Passione’s Three Keys to Three Points
Shore up the left side of the defense- As already mentioned, the left side of the defense will to have neutralize the attacking prowess of Chiesa and Cuadrado. While Berat Djimsiti will be nice support for Pezzella, Tuen Koopmeiners may even be asked to provide some defensive support (which is not the worst thing in the world, as he can still ping long balls from anywhere to be an attacking force even in his own defensive half).
Be clinical- This can be said in pretty much any fixture, but it is even more paramount against Juventus. Juventus may not be as stingy this year in preventing shots on target, but the Old Lady is still in the Top 5 in many shooting statistics. Opportunities may be at a premium, and Atalanta has to ensure that it is at least testing Wojciech Szczesny.
Play Zapata and/or Muriel heavily on the left channel- This is more how of a strategy to distance Duvan Zapata from de Ligt more than anything. When Bonucci and de Ligt have played together in the back, normally Bonucci is lined up on the right side of Juventus’s defense. Perhaps a break of fortune for Atalanta, who would much rather have Zapata lining up the Italian rather than the Dutchman. If Zapata is played out on the flank and permitted to cut in, Atalanta should then ensure that there is enough of an attacking threat on de Ligt’s side to set up as many 1v1’s against Bonucci as possible.
As it stands, Atalanta sits four points ahead of Juventus in the table. A victory gives Atalanta quite the cushion, and more than anything a nice psychological boost that La Dea still deserve to be given a puncher’s chance to win the Scudetto. Juventus is still struggling to find an identity under Allegri, and after its rough midweek performance (just like Atalanta) it may be the perfect opportunity to hit hard on a team that’s waffling a bit. But don’t let Juventus fool you.
The Turin side still recently put up back to back clean sheets against two of Italy’s best offenses in Fiorentina and Lazio, and Allegri should never be one to bet against to lose a grind-it-out game that he’ll surely try to entice. It falls on Atalanta to ensure that the pressure is kept on early and often. The gents didn’t do it against Young Boys, but let’s hope they were saving it all up against everyone’s favorite team to beat in Italy. Let’s go do it, and as always Forza Dea!!!
