Amid an unsettling time in the transfer market, Atalanta BC got off to a winning start in Serie A, and they will now aim to turn over Torino on Sunday.
Despite two stars of their Europa League triumph standing by the exit, the Bergamo club cruised past Lecce last week; meanwhile, Toro came within a whisker of beating AC Milan.
Match preview
© Reuters
A new dynamic duo arrived on the scene during Atalanta's first-day win down in Lecce - with Mateo Retegui and Marco Brescianini both celebrating their first start for the club with a brace - but two integral cogs in the Nerazzurri machine remained on the sidelines.
As Teun Koopmeiners awaits a move to Juventus, and Europa League final hero Ademola Lookman seeks a switch to Paris Saint-Germain, La Dea's plans for the season ahead have been thrown into disarray.
A frantic final week of the transfer window is to be expected, but wily head coach Gian Piero Gasperini will insist his troops focus solely on the task in front of them.
Having lost to Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup and then swept aside Lecce, Atalanta will now aim to post a fifth straight Serie A win on the road, as they play another away fixture while their Gewiss Stadium is still being renovated.
Over the past 14 years, only once have the Bergamaschi won both of their first two Serie A matches, but recent precedent suggests that should be possible on Sunday.
Atalanta have lost just once in their last nine league meetings with Torino, winning six, including a club-record 7-0 thrashing of the Granata in January 2020.
© Imago
However, Toro were transformed by former boss Ivan Juric last season, when he steered the Turin club to a 3-0 win against his friend and mentor Gasperini.
New coach Paolo Vanoli has a lot to live up to, as Torino lost only one of their last 14 home games under Juric, posting 10 clean sheets in the process.
Throughout 2023-24, they recorded the most shut-outs on home turf throughout Europe's top five leagues (13 in 19 Serie A matches), and they started life under Vanoli with a 2-0 Coppa Italia win over Cosenza earlier this month.
Indeed, Toro were two up against Milan on their league debut for the new season - with new captain Duvan Zapata getting his name on the scoresheet at San Siro - but a late collapse allowed the Rossoneri to salvage a point.
The Granata finished just short of European qualification last term, and such a performance may increase confidence they can challenge again, but their tough start to the fixture list will continue on Sunday.
- D
- W
- D
- W
- L
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Not only are Teun Koopmeiners and Ademola Lookman unavailable, but two other regular starters - Giorgio Scalvini and Gianluca Scamacca - are continuing the long road back from serious knee injuries.
Atalanta's absence list does not end there, as defensive duo Rafael Toloi and Sead Kolasinac are also joined in the treatment room by summer signing Nicolo Zaniolo.
Record buy El Bilal Toure is bound for the Bundesliga, so Mateo Retegui and Charles De Ketelaere are essentially the last men standing up front.
Meanwhile, Torino's main marksman will be a familiar face to fans of La Dea: Duvan Zapata scored 69 times in 153 league appearances for Atalanta, making him the club's all-time joint-top scorer in Serie A. He has also scored seven goals in 11 matches against them.
Zapata's support should come from either Antonio Sanabria or Che Adams, as Croatia forward Nikola Vlasic has not yet returned from an injury that ruled him out of Euro 2024.
Dutch defender Perr Schuurs (ACL) will not be back until November, but the hosts could hand a first start to loan signing Borna Sosa, who arrived after fellow wing-back Raoul Bellanova joined Atalanta earlier this week.
Torino possible starting lineup:
Milinkovic-Savic; Vojvoda, Coco, Masina; Lazaro, Ricci, Linetty, Ilic, Sosa; Sanabria, Zapata
Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:
Musso; De Roon, Hien, Djimsiti; Zappacosta, Ederson, Pasalic, Ruggeri; Brescianini; De Ketelaere, Retegui
We say: Torino 1-1 Atalanta BC
Though their concentration lapsed at the end of last week's draw with Milan, Torino's defence has proven tough to breach this year, and even a change of management should not change that.
Atalanta still have plenty of talent available, but suffering so many disruptions may mean they can only come away from Turin with a point.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
