Juventus - Atalanta 09-03-25

Analysis of the teams 

This weekend is also the time for a big match in Serie A. Three points separate the teams before Sunday's match, and the excitement is palpable when Atalanta travel to Turin to face an in-form Juventus team in the ongoing battle for Champions League places and potential Serie A gold. Atalanta are in third place with Juventus breathing down their necks, and with a win here, the winner can sign up for the Scudetto. This is definitely a match you don't want to miss!

Juventus – can the good form continue?

The Old Lady are in a good period in the league, with several strong results, such as the 1-0 home win against league leaders Inter and a 2-1 away win against a strong home team Como. But this season has not been all roses. The Champions League dream was brutally crushed after a 4-3 aggregate defeat to PSV Eindhoven. And it didn't get any better when Empoli sent Juventus out of the Coppa Italia quarter-finals after a penalty shootout at the end of February - something that clearly irritated Juventus boss Thiago Motta.

Despite some setbacks, Juventus and Motta have started to climb the table and are delivering the kind of performances expected of a team with their ambitions. It was a waste of a chance against Hellas Verona on Monday, but despite this they walked away victorious with a 2-0 home win. This was exactly the response both Motta and the Juventus fans wanted after the cup exit. With three points, Juventus climbed to fourth place, just three points behind this weekend's opponent.

One thing that has worked very well for Juventus this season is their defensive organisation. They are very solid in their own box, which has resulted in 14 clean sheets – the most in the league. After Gleison Bremer tore his cruciate ligament in October last year and was ruled out for the rest of the season, loanee Lloyd Kelly has done a solid job as a replacement. Another important piece in Juventus' defensive four is the dynamic right-back Timothy Weah. He started his career as a striker and winger, but has now established himself as a regular right-back under Motta. Weah's offensive contributions have resulted in five goals and one assist so far this season.

Offensively, Dusan Vlahovic has scored the most goals with nine. Loan player Randal Kolo Muani has also been a breath of fresh air in attack with his speed. Juventus are particularly dangerous because they have many different goal scorers – both wingers, midfielders and strikers contribute goals evenly.

Atalanta – Must find a way back to winning ways. 

Atalanta are third in Serie A, just behind Inter and Napoli, with just three points off the top of the table. Despite a strong position and good prospects for the rest of the season, they must also take some of the blame for not being even better. With just two wins in their last five league games, combined with disappointing results such as a 1-1 home draw against Torino, a 0-0 home draw against Cagliari and another 0-0 home draw against relegation candidate Venezia last weekend, Atalanta have had both the fixture list and the opportunities to position themselves even stronger.

In the 1-1 draw against Torino, Atalanta had an xG of 2.97, and in the 0-0 draw against Venezia, an xG of 1.94. This raises questions about whether it is bad luck or a lack of quality in the finishing that is keeping the ball from finding the net. It is particularly striking considering that Serie A's top scorer, Matteo Retegui, leads Atalanta's attack and has scored 21 goals in the league.

With attacking powerhouses like Charles De Ketelaere – who has created the second most big chances in the league – and the dribbling powerhouse Ademola Lookman, Atalanta have an offensive arsenal that can hurt anyone. When they have their day, they are extremely dangerous – as evidenced by an average of 2.2 goals per game and the second most goals scored in the league overall.

Defensively, however, they have been somewhat inconsistent, which can be partly explained by the injury absence of several key players. Three of the team's defenders – Giorgio Scalvini, loanee Odilon Kossounou from Bayer Leverkusen and Isak Hien – have been out with injuries. The latter played a great game before being sidelined in mid-February.

Therefore, we believe that neither team will leave the field goalless

This is a match between two teams that like to have the ball and dominate the game. Both teams create a lot of chances and have high-quality attacking players, so it will be interesting to see how Juventus' defense handles Atalanta's fearsome front three. Although they have struggled to convert their chances recently, they are very dangerous when they have the day. This is one of the main reasons why I think there will be goals on Sunday. At the same time, Atalanta's defense will have to be able to withstand Juventus' well-organized attack.

Juventus have had a clear advantage over Atalanta in recent years and are unbeaten in their previous eight meetings (2 wins, 6 draws). In fact, Atalanta have not won against Juventus since November 27, 2021.

But as we know, football is round, and this match is guaranteed to be a real treat, packed with entertainment and good football! 

Serie A at 20:45: Juventus – Atalanta: Both teams to score (1.79)