ATALANTA

League position: 3rd
Head coach: Gian Piero Gasperini
Serie A top-scorer: Duvan Zapata (nine)

RECENT FORM

ATALANTA: W W W L W
ROMA: W L L W W

With a 10-game unbeaten run at their back, Atalanta have soared into third place and are just three points back from defending champions Inter Milan in top spot.

Josip Ilicic and Zapata both started on the bench in last weekend’s 2-1 win at Verona but should be restored to the starting lineup for the Giallorossi’s visit.

Roma, meanwhile, made it two wins from two as they beat Spezia 2-0 on Monday night but will be without Felix Afena-Gyan after his late sending off.

That victory took Roma above Juventus and into sixth-place and all three points on Saturday could lift Jose Mourinho’s men into fifth.

Possible Atalanta line-up

(3-4-2-1)

Musso; Toloi, Palomino, Demiral; Zappacosta, de Roon, Freuler, Maehle; Pessina, Ilicic; Zapata

LAST MEETING

DANGER MAN
Duvan Zapata

The Colombia striker has scored 12 times and provided seven assists for his teammates across 20 appearances in all competitions this term.

He is the sharp end of the Atalanta stick and Zapata’s nine Serie A strikes have only been bettered by four players across the entire top-flight.

Strong, quick and tricky, the 30-year-old has a little bit of everything and his all-round game allows Atalanta to mix up depending on whether they need to go direct or take a more intricate approach.

It’s a great position for Gasperini to be in and, even without Zapata, his side is littered with attacking talent.

MATCH STATS

Atalanta are unbeaten in their last seven Serie A games against Roma (W4, D3), which is their longest streak without losing to the Giallorossi.

The Nerazzurri have won each of their last six league games, and are the only team with a perfect record since the beginning of November.

Roma have scored on each of their last 11 top-flight visits to Atalanta, picking up four wins in the process.

The Giallorossi have the edge in this fixture and Roma have beaten Atalanta 59 times in 132 matches between the two in all competitions, while they have lost 31 games and drawn another 42.

PLAYER STATS

• Zapata needs one more goal to become the sixth South American player in Serie A history to score 10 or more goals in six or more different seasons, following in the footsteps of Gabriel Batistuta (nine), Hernan Crespo (eight), Abel Balbo (seven), Luis Vinicio (seven) and Mauro Icardi (six).
  
• Zapata has scored against Roma in each of the past four seasons, alternating between finding the back of the net in his teams’ home and away fixtures; away in 2017-18 (Sampdoria), home in 2018-19, away in 2019-20 and home in 2020-21 (all Atalanta).
  
• Bryan Cristante has scored twice against Atalanta in Serie A, a club he represented 48 times before joining Roma in 2018.
  
• Tammy Abraham has been involved in six goals across his previous five matches in all competitions (five goals, one assist).

WHAT THEY SAID

“I must admit that the beginning was quite difficult, you must understand the mechanism and change mentality. Always look ahead and be ready to track back. Gasperini’s training is intense, but I believe this coach is the most suitable for me. I like the duels with strikers and try to anticipate them.”

- Atalanta centre-back Merih Demiral on why he joined the club this summer