Atalanta travel south to take on Sassuolo at the Mapei Stadium in the third round of Serie A action this Sunday.
La Dea look to continue their recent momentum after beating Serie A newcomers Frosinone in their previous outing.
Atalanta picked up their first points of the season just before the international break with a convincing 2-0 win. Alejandro Gomez’s 30 yard wonder-strike was the icing on the cake in a dominant Nerrazzuri display.
Meanwhile, Sassuolo have raised some eyebrows this season and have picked up maximum points in their opening two fixtures, recording impressive victories over both Bologna as well as a comeback 2-1 victory over Napoli. They currently sit joint third on goal difference with Inter and Palermo.
Over the past five head-to-head match-ups, the home team has held the advantage with each of them having won twice, the only exception coming in 2014 when Atalanta took home a point from Reggio Emilia.
Veteran forward Antonio Floro Flores has been impressive so far this season tallying a goal in each contest this campaign, but the Neroverdi will be without center back Luca Antei and more notably winger Domenico Berardi, who is not expected back for a few weeks as he recovers with a strained muscle.
Newcomer Gregoire Defrel is currently yet to score a single goal this season and will be aiming to emulate his form from 2014/15, when he bagged nine goals for the former Serie A side Cesena.
Alejandro Gomez will once again be looking to get on the score-sheet for Atalanta, but it is worth noting that he will be without the link-up services of midfielder Luca Cigarini. The 29-year-old is currently recovering from a knee operation that has kept him absent since pre-season. He has also been in the headlines following his arrest for drink driving in August.
Gabriel Paletta on the other hand is set to make his debut for Atalanta after sealing a summer move from AC Milan.
Form Guide: Atalanta (L-W) Sassuolo (W-W)
Expected Starting XIs
Atalanta: Sportiello, Drame, Paletta, Stendardo , Bellini, De Roon, Kurtic, Carmona, Moralez, Pinilla, Gomez
Sassuolo: Consigli, Vrsaljko, Cannavaro, Acerbi, Peluso, Missiroli, Magnanelli, Duncan, Politano, Defrel, Sansone
