This season's Coppa Italia quarter-finals, featuring only top-flight sides, will see Atalanta BC host Bologna at the Gewiss Stadium on Tuesday in what will be the first-ever cup meeting between the sides.
La Dea reached this stage of the competition after thrashing Serie B side Cesena 6-1, while the Red and Blues eased past Monza with a 4-0 victory.
Match preview
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Entering their round of 16 clash against Cesena as clear favourites, Atalanta took control early, with Davide Zappacosta opening the scoring in the fourth minute, followed by a brace from Charles De Ketelaere around Lazar Samardzic's 27th-minute strike.
The rout continued in the second half, with Marco Brescianini adding the fifth, Samardzic grabbing his second, while Joseph Ceesay scored a late consolation as the Goddess cruised into the next phase of the competition.
This marks Atalanta's fifth consecutive quarter-final appearance, having progressed in two of the previous four to reach the final, where they were defeated 2-1 by Juventus in 2020-21 and 1-0 last term.
Standing in the Nerazzurri's way of matching last season's feat is a Bologna side they have struggled against in recent times, failing to win any of the last four meetings – albeit all in the league – with three defeats and a draw.
Gian Piero Gasperini's men head into this clash off the back of a 1-1 stalemate against Torino in Serie A, a result that leaves them third in the standings, six points adrift of league leaders Napoli despite playing one more game.
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Meanwhile, Bologna could not have asked for better timing, as they will look to exploit La Dea's vulnerabilities on the domestic front, with the hosts managing just one win in their last seven such encounters.
Rossoblu themselves have fared better recently in Italian competitions, winning two of their last three matches, including a 2-0 triumph over Como last time out, which lifted them to sixth in the Serie A standings.
That result also extended the Red and Blues' unbeaten run across all competitions to seven games, comprising three wins and four draws.
Bologna will look to carry this momentum into Tuesday's cup clash as they aim to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 1998-99, when they were eliminated by Fiorentina.
It is worth noting that Vincenzo Italiano's side have now reached the quarter-finals in back-to-back seasons after proving too strong for Monza, who crumbled under goals from Tommaso Pobega, Riccardo Orsolini, Benjamín Domínguez and Santiago Castro.
Team News
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Atalanta have three players on the treatment table, with Giorgio Scalvini (shoulder), Ademola Lookman (knee) and Odilon Kossounou (hamstring), all sidelined for Tuesday's encounter.
Given the calibre of the opposition, Gasperini is expected to name a strong lineup, with the club's top scorer this season, Mateo Retegui, set to lead the line.
Rui Patricio made only his second appearance for La Dea last time out, having also featured in the cup win against Cesena, and he could retain his spot between the sticks on Tuesday.
Bologna will be without Lewis Ferguson, who is ruled out with a hamstring injury, while Orsolini remains a doubt, having missed the last three games with the same issue.
Castro may get the nod ahead of Thijs Dallinga in the centre-forward role, with the former expected to return to the lineup after starting on the bench against Como.
Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:
Patricio; Kolasinac, Hien, Djimsiti; Bellanova, Ederson, De Roon, Ruggeri; De Ketelaere, Samardzic; Retegui
Bologna possible starting lineup:
Ravaglia; Holm, Lucumi, Beukema, Lykogiannis; Freuler, Pobega; Ndoye, Odgaard, Dominguez; Castro
We say: Atalanta BC 2-1 Bologna
This encounter looks finely balanced and could even go beyond regulation time, given Atalanta's struggles for wins and Bologna's recent resilience.
However, the hosts may have the edge, backed by their pedigree in this competition and the advantage of playing at home.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Adeyeye Oluwapelumi
