Stefano Colantuono’s Atalanta welcome Sampdoria to the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia as the two sides meet in Serie A on Saturday evening.
The Nerazzurri have been disappointing from the offset this campaign and already face a relegation fight as they currently find themselves just three points above the relegation zone – a gap that could well be closed as Cagliari host Hellas Verona – so a win is more important than ever for the Bergamo club.
Sinisa Mihajlovic’s men come into the game off the back of their recent Derby della Lanterna draw against Genoa. The Blucerchiati started the season in great form, but their fortunes have changed of late and they head into the weekend’s clash without a win in their last five Serie A matches, and their last win coming over a month ago against crisis club Parma.
The hosts have not had it much better of late, or indeed – as I touched on already – all season. La Dea have lost four of their last six games and despite showing signs of improvement at stages, they are still losing matches at a vital stage of the season. They gave a decent account of themselves quite notably against Fiorentina, and for a phase of the Juventus match, but they are showing no real signs of consistency even within a single match.
The recent meetings of the two sides have thrown out some very mixed results, with Atalanta winning three, Sampdoria winning two and the sides sharing the points in one. Granted, one of those Nerazzurri victories came in a friendly. The visitors might feel they have a slight advantage having beaten their hosts earlier this season when a Manolo Gabbiadini goal was enough to seal the points for the Blucerchiati on that occasion.
Mihajlovic will have a lot to consider when selecting his side, as the Samp squad is currently plagued by injuries, suspensions, and doubts. Eder, Roberto Soriano and Pedro Obiang will all sit the game out through suspension, while the injured absentees are Alessandro De Vitis and Fabrizio Cacciatore. On top of the confirmed absentees, Samuel Eto’o, Djamel Mesbah, Vasco Regini and Joaquin Correa’s fitness levels are uncertain.
Colantuono will also have a selection headache on his hands, with Davide Zappacosta, Maxi Moralez, Nicolo Cherubin, Marcelo Estigarribia, Cristian Raimondi and Giuseppe Biava all missing through injury. The concerns don’t stop here for the 52-year-old, with Giulio Migliaccio also being forced to sit the game out due to suspension.
Form Guide: Atalanta (W-L-W-L-L-L) Sampdoria (W-D-L-D-L-D)
Expected Starting XIs
Atalanta: Sportiello; Masiello, Stendardo, Benalouane, Bellini; Emanuelson, Carmona, Cigarini, Gomez; Baselli; Pinilla.
Sampdoria: Viviano; De Silvestri, Silvestre, Romagnoli, Regini; Acquah, Palombo, Duncan; Correa; Okaka, Muriel.
