ATALANTA

League position: 3rd
Head coach: Gian Piero Gasperini
Serie A top-scorer: Luis Muriel (18)

RECENT FORM

Roma: D W W D L
Atalanta: L W W W W

Roma’s stumble at Torino not only ended a four-game unbeaten run for the Giallorossi, but it also made life a little trickier in their pursuit of a top-six spot.

With that said, all is far from lost and there remains plenty to play for between now and the end of the season and just one defeat in their last five on home soil (W3, D1, L1) bodes well with Atalanta in town.

As for the visitors, they have been in fine recent fettle and have won nine of their last 10 in Serie A, with their sole defeat during that run coming against leaders Inter Milan.

Victory over Juventus last time out moved them into third-place and Gasperini’s men are well on course to securing Champions League football again next term.

LAST MEETING

DANGER MAN
Duvan Zapata

The Atalanta attack has been the club’s driving force behind their remarkable rise in recent years, earning them plaudits not just within Italy but around the continent too.

There are some serious players across that front line, currently led by Colombia international Zapata; who is arguably playing the best football of his career at 30 years-old.

He’s scored four in his last four in the league, taking him to 17 goals and 12 assists in all competitions this term.

More worryingly for the hosts; Zapata has scored three in five appearances for Atalanta against Roma and hasn’t lost to the Giallorossi as a player for La Dea (W3, D2).

MATCH STATS

Atalanta currently boast a decent record against Roma and are unbeaten from the last six meetings (W4, D2).

That run also stretches to six games when you single out matches at the Olimpico, where Roma have not beaten Atalanta since 2013-14.

The Giallorossi do still have the edge in Serie A, though, winning 52 of 117 matches, with a further 37 draws and 28 Atalanta wins.

With 312 goals (176 for Roma, 136 for Atalanta) in 117 Serie A meetings, this fixture averages a whopping 2.6 goals per game.

PLAYER STATS

• Francesco Totti (8) tops the charts for most goals in this Serie A fixture.
  
• Edin Dzeko, meanwhile, is closing in on his former captain and has six goals for Roma against Atalanta.
  
• Gianluca Mancini played 48 times for Atalanta before joining Roma at the start of the 2019-20 campaign. Bryan Cristante, Roger Ibanez and Leonardo Spinazzola are also former Atalanta players.
  
• Muriel has scored seven goals against Roma in Serie A.

WHAT THEY SAID

“It’s still early. Seven games are remaining until the end of the season. This win is important, but the path is still long. There are many clubs in the race for a top-four finish.”

- Atalanta coach Gasperini, after the 1-0 win over Juve