Serie A Preview: Napoli vs Atalanta BC
- FIy999 2024/11/02 05:57
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Seeking a seventh straight win in all competitions, Serie A leaders Napoli will welcome Atalanta BC to Stadio Maradona for Sunday's lunchtime kickoff.
preview
Tuesday's 2-0 victory in Milan surely confirmed Napoli as legitimate Scudetto contenders, with head coach Antonio Conte even admitting afterwards that his team were in great shape to challenge for the title.
Star men Romelu Lukaku and Khvicha Kvaratshkelia both struck during the first half to secure another success, pulling the Partenopei 11 points clear of their hosts in the standings - albeit having played one match more.
Napoli have now won five Serie A games in a row for the first time since a run of eight between January and February 2023, when they were on course for a remarkable first-placed finish under Luciano Spalletti.
After a year in the wilderness, Conte seems to have rekindled the fire once ignited by the current Italy coach, and only Barcelona have won more matches across Europe's top five leagues this season.
Having accrued maximum points from his first five home games in charge, Conte can now become the only manager in Napoli's long history to win each of his first six.
His team's 100% record at the Maradona may have been aided by a relatively soft fixture list so far, but Atalanta's arrival should put them through a much sterner test.
Against a very different Napoli side - in terms of cohesion, if not personnel - Atalanta ran out 3-0 winners on their last trip to Naples, having previously come away empty-handed from four straight Serie A meetings.
A few months later, the Bergamo club went on to lift the Europa League trophy, and after a shaky start to the current campaign they have since started living up to their enhanced reputation.
In midweek, La Dea climbed up to third spot in the table, overtaking Juventus via a 2-0 win over Monza, secured thanks to goals from Lazar Samardzic and Davide Zappacosta.
That success prompted long-serving boss Gian Piero Gasperini to acclaim his back-up players, with both scorers having emerged from the bench.
Atalanta had previously thumped Hellas Verona 6-1, and aside from a frustrating 0-0 draw with Celtic, they have been finding the net freely since the end of September - their top-flight average now stands at 2.6 goals per game.
After heading south to Campania, the Bergamaschi are then bound for Stuttgart, as they continue their quest for a top-eight finish in the Champions League: two tough tests will tell Gasperini plenty about his team's potential to win more trophies.
possible starting lineup:
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