Atalanta vs Torino

Gewiss Stadium forms the backdrop for a potentially high-scoring Serie A encounter between Atalanta and Torino.

Despite pulling off a heroic 2-2 draw at Barcelona in midweek Champions League action, Atalanta had to settle for a gut-wrenching ninth-place finish, hence an exciting playoff tie versus Club Brugge. However, Gian Piero Gasperini’s side must quickly turn attention back to Serie A, where they’ve only won one of their last five matches (D3, L1), losing crucial ground on table-topping Napoli. Playing in Bergamo should come in handy, even though they’re winless in back-to-back home league games (D1, L1). Indeed, ‘La Dea’ had won seven of their first eight top-flight fixtures at the Gewiss Stadium this term (L1), which has been the case in their last two Serie A H2Hs on this ground. Moreover, since a 3-2 defeat in 2019, they’ve bagged 3+ goals in four consecutive H2Hs here (W2, D2).

In the meantime, Torino scored on either side of halftime to dispatch relegation-threatened Cagliari 2-0 at home last weekend, halting an unenviable five-game winless league run (D4, L1). Seeking consecutive league victories for the first time since August, Paolo Vanoli’s side can take heart from a four-game unbeaten streak on the road. However, they shared the spoils three times during that sequence (W1). In search of good omens, ‘I Granata’ saw off Atalanta in August’s reverse fixture, running out 2-1 winners in Turin. That triumph formed part of Torino’s free-scoring start to the season, which saw them net 2+ goals in six of their first eight league outings. However, they’ve since scored more than once in just two of their subsequent 12 Serie A games!