Date: April 10, 2022
Time: 15:00 CET, 9:00 EST
A Quick Tale of the Tape
Atalanta: 7th place | 51 points | +18 GD | +15.1 xGD
Napoli: 10th place | 43 points | +5 GD | -5.3 xGD
Can Atalanta Get Back to Winning Ways in Emilia Romagna?
Its an understatement that Atalanta enjoys playing Sassuolo. In fact the last time the Neroverdi were able to gain three points against La Dea was all the way back in 2014. Guess who the goalkeeper for Atalanta was then – Andrea Consigli. Funny world isn’t it?
After a strong showing in Leipzig, and against German teams in general, Atalanta has really struggled to replicate its Europa League form in Italy. The squad is firmly entrenched in a dog fight for a Top 7 spot in Europe, that doesn’t get any easier against a lively Sassuolo side. Alessio Dionisi took some time to get his squad clicking, but one of the most attacking sides in Serie A has finally found a bit of a groove. Asides last week’s loss to Lazio, Sassuolo had pulled off a six match unbeaten streak – including impressive victories against Fiorentina and away to Inter. Giacamo Raspadori only needs one more goal, and the Neroverdi will have three men tallying double digit goals (Gianluca Scamacca and Domenico Berardi being the other two).
But the story with Sassuolo is always the same. Even with De Zerbi at the helm, Atalanta has always been successful against Sassuolo and its unrelenting stubbornness to play out of the back at all costs. Atalanta have no issues setting up a difficult maze for Sassuolo to navigate through – and always seem to force the Black and Green into just enough mistakes to tilt the odds in its favor. That’s the strategy again, but with a midfield duo of Maxime Lopez and Davide Frattesi that shield the ball well, the task becomes more difficult. But with Duvan Zapata likely back in the starting lineup, and Teun Koopmeiners back in his usual position in the middle of the pitch – there’s a good chance that any loose balls that get picked up in the middle of the pitch can translate into good goal scoring opportunities.
Sassuolo Player to Watch – Hamed Junior Traore
But if Sassuolo is able to work the ball up the pitch, be careful! Men from the left, center, and right can all score freely. And no one has had a better recent run of form than Junior Traore. Perhaps the better of the brothers between him and former Atalantino Diallo, Junio has elevated his game so much this year that Jeremie Boga became expendable – let that sink in! With five goals to his name this year, Traore has become a nuisance on the left side of the pitch, setting up a very interesting matchup with the young King George Scalvini.
Atalanta Passione’s Predicted Starting XI
With such a quick turnaround from Thursday – followed by another quick turnaround forthcoming – Sunday feels like a game for rotation and maximum substitutes. I don’t anticipate the attack to play a full 90 minutes – either because Atalanta is up big, or reinforcements are needed because the offense is not clicking. Ruslan Malinovskyi was the only attacker who did not feature against Leipzig, making him a shoo-in to start (injury notwithstanding).
Speaking of injuries, ironman Remo Freuler sadly looks to be sidelined for a couple weeks, and will miss his first Atalanta match in years thanks to injury. With Marten de Roon also on yellow card suspension Koopmeiners and Giorgio Scalvini seems compulsory in the pivot unless Gian Piero Gasperini wants to live dangerous and start the currently woeful Matteo Pessina (please don’t)!
At the back, Rafael Toloi is projected to suit up. If Toloi still isn’t ready, Atalanta shouldn’t feel too uncomfortable if Giorgio Scalvini has to supplant the captain. Scalvini continues to be a gem this year, and there’s nothing Sassoulo can throw at him that he didn’t already see against Napoli. He just can’t get overeager against Traore! Crazy though how Scalvini is already in a position to solve depth woes all over the pitch!
Some Fun With Numbers
Sassuolo is the only Serie A club this year to convert 100% of its penalty chances with at least seven attempts. Domenico Berardi is responsible for six of those goals, and all his takes have been excellent this year. Conversely, Atalanta has only attempted four penalties this year, and none since Spezia back in 2021.
Juan Musso’s pass completion on long passes is an unimpressive 54.7% across all competitions. Whereas his counterpart Andrea Consigli has put in a clip at nearly 60%. If Juan Musso was able to reach Consigli’s prowess with the long pass, he would have spurred on an additional 23 potential attacks this year, a little less than one more attack per match. Not substantial, but there may be another goal sitting there in those numbers. Among keepers Lazio’s Thomas Strakoshka has led the pack in long passes completed – finding a teammate at a 68% clip.
Luis Muriel’s goal against Leipzig was brilliant, but I still don’t think we’re giving it enough credit. With an xG of 0.06, he top binned it to give Gulasci only a 50% chance of stopping it (but everyone knows the Hungarian was not getting to that one). For comparison, this goal was equally improbable to Muriel’s other impressive international goal this season. His brilliant freekick against Young Boys had a similar xG of 0.05.
Duvan Zapata is one goal away from a sixth consecutive season with double digit Serie A goals. He does feast against Sassuolo, putting away five goals against the Neroverdi in the last three seasons.
After the dark patch that came with Punxsutawney Phil seeing his shadow and declaring six more weeks of winter for the rest of the world, it felt like Bergamo got hit the hardest. But the sun is coming out, the temparature is rising, and besides the disgusting pollen lining the streets, things are looking up. Zapata is back, Koopmeiners can move deeper on the pitch, and Scalvini takes steps forward each match. There’s still a lot to play for in Italy, and picking up a result against a good Sassuolo team will be a great springboard to hopefully see Atalanta through to European spots again. Let’s keep the faith, and as always pray for goals, and Forza Dea!!!
