Zakaria’s first Juventus training
Check the first training session of Denis Zakaria at Juventus. The swiss player join the Serie A giant in January 2022.
Atalanta vs Juventus: Line-ups
Atalanta
Juventus
Juve Set for Victory
#1
After suffering another Serie A setback last weekend, Atalanta met Fiorentina in Thursday’s Coppa Italia quarter-final in need of a morale-boosting win. However, a late collapse against the 10-man Viola saw them exit the cup – a competition in which they lost last season’s final to Juventus – and consigned the Bergamo side to a fourth successive match without victory.
#2
Their loss at the Gewiss Stadium, where the Nerazzurri play their third of four home games in a row this Sunday, adds further to a dire record at their Lombardy headquarters, having managed just three wins from 12 attempts there in the league. That leaves Atalanta inside the bottom half of the rankings for points taken on home soil, with Gian Piero Gasperini’s fifth-placed side most recently losing out in their clash with relegation-threatened Cagliari last Sunday, when goalkeeper Juan Musso was sent off in a frustrating 2-1 defeat.
#3
Though they were beaten in the cup final last term, Atalanta have won their last two league meetings against Juventus without conceding a goal – which already represents their best-ever winning run against the Bianconeri in Serie A – and could now become the first side to win three consecutive top-flight matches against Juve in over a decade.
#4
A season-ending injury for star striker Duvan Zapata has played its part in a declining strike rate during recent weeks, though, and could well undermine the Bergamaschi’s hopes of winning successive home games against the Old Lady for only the second time in their history – and the first in nearly 70 years.
#5
Having now kept a clean sheet in each of their last three league outings, Juventus are also unbeaten in their last 10 Serie A matches – their best such run since the tail end of 2020. Therefore, they arrive in Bergamo as favourites to pull clear of their faltering opponents, but memories of November’s 1-0 loss in Turin will keep them on their toes.
DPP Verdict
All signs seem to be pointing towards a Juve win this weekend, as the combination of Atalanta’s recent struggles, below-par home form and loss of their top striker makes them a weakened proposition since the sides last met. Not only that, but the visitors now have a formidable front line of their own, which should expect to breach the hosts’ defence at least once over the course of a hard-fought 90 minutes.
