Sampdoria vs Atalanta

Sampdoria and Atalanta are set to trade tackles at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in an intriguing Serie A match-up.

Sampdoria eked out a 2-1 home win over Spezia over the weekend to snap a frustrating four-match winless streak in Serie A (D1, L3) and momentarily escape the relegation zone. The hosts could win back-to-back Serie A fixtures for the first time this season, though a return of one win from their last five top-flight H2Hs (D1, L3) suggests otherwise. One goal conceded against Spezia represents a slight defensive improvement to a run of four consecutive Serie A matches in which ‘La Samp’ let in 3+ goals! Indeed, Sampdoria’s tally of 14 goals conceded across their last five Serie A outings is by far the first in the top-flight in that period. Roberto D’Aversa’s men have shipped the opening goal in four of their five Serie A home games this season, failing to win any such contest (D2, L2).

Meanwhile, Atalanta suffered a late upset in their weekend’s home clash against Udinese, as Beto’s 93rd-minute equalizer gave the Udine-based outfit a 1-1 draw in Bergamo. A lack of consistency has seen none of Atalanta’s last five Serie A fixtures repeat the same result from the previous one (W2, D2, L1), with each of them seeing both teams on the scoresheet. Remarkably, though, Gian Piero Gasperini’s men have lost just three of their 42 Serie A away matches since the start of the 2019/20 season! Adding to Atalanta’s confidence here, they are unbeaten in three consecutive top-flight away meetings with Sampdoria (W2, D1), winning the last two in a row without conceding. That’s encouraging as Gasperini looks to mark his 200th managerial appearance at Atalanta with a bang.