Atalanta – Spezia : Preview & Prediction
Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini has called their next two games “decisive” in their bid to qualify for European competition. Back-to-back wins have left La Dea in seventh place in the Serie A table, and with just two points separating them from fourth place, some fans could be dreaming of even qualifying for the Champions League for only the fourth time in the club’s history.
Gasperini warns his players not to be distracted as they look for a third consecutive league win for the first time since September. Atalanta should be confident of another home win, where they have recorded five wins in their last eight official appearances (E1, P2).
Looking to halt that streak are Spezia, who are in danger of seeing their three-year stint in the Italian top flight come to an end after a miserable run of one win in 14 league games (E6, P7) following a 2-0 home loss to Monza. That result saw them drop to 17th in the table after the end of the previous round, being above the relegation zone due to their head-to-head record against Verona, and even a change of coach has failed to turn their campaign around so far.
Current coach Leonardo Semplici has been in charge since the end of February and has insisted confidently that his team “has what it takes to be saved”. However, Spezia need to create some history if they are to end their run of six away games without a win (E4, P2), having never won on a visit to Atalanta (E2, P7).
Players to watch: Atalanta captain Rafael Tolói is unbeaten in five clashes against Spezia (G3, E2), with four of those outings including at least four total goals. Goals are the order of the day when visiting goalkeeper Bartlomiej Dragowski faces Atalanta, having conceded at least two in four of the last five matches against them (G1, E1, P3).
Big Fact: Atalanta’s games in this league season average 2.81 goals per game – tied for the highest figure in Serie A.
Atalanta – Spezia : Betting Tips
Atalanta – Win Odds: 1.35
