Fiorentina take on Atalanta at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia on Sunday afternoon as they look to maintain their unbeaten record and keep a spot in the top three.
A full 20 points separate the two teams as Edoardo Reja’s side have struggled for form since the turn of the year, failing to win a single match in their last five games.
La Dea continue to struggle since the departures of Maximiliano Moralez and German Denis in the winter transfer window, losing to last place Hellas Verona 2-1 and having taken just one point away since the end of January, leaving them in 13th in the league with just 29 points.
Meanwhile, Fiorentina will be hoping to continue their good form following a hard fought 2-1 win over Inter at the weekend, which saw them move four points above the Nerazzurri and back into a Champions League spot.
The Viola are in fact unbeaten in their past five, having taken victories over Capri and Torino, whilst going level with Bologna and Genoa.
It was Paulo Sousa’s men who claimed victory last time out in the reverse fixture, as goals from Josip Ilicic, Borja Valero and Joan Verdu saw them run riot 3-0 at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. In total, they hold a strong record against Atalanta, having won 16 out of the 32 encounters between the two sides, whilst only losing five.
Atalanta must continue to do without the services of midfielder Carlos Carmona who is out with a lengthy injury, as well as Gabriel Paletta.
Mauro Zarate will miss the match for Fiorentina due to suspension, after receiving a red card at the end match against Inter, alongside Marcos Alonso who is additionally suspended for once match due to an accumulation of yellow cards. January signing Yohan Benalouane will also be unavailable.
Form Guide: Atalanta: (D-D-L-D-D) Fiorentina: (W-D-W-D-W)
Expected Starting XIs:
Atalanta: Sportiello, Conti, Toloi, Paletta, Drame, Freuler, De Roon, Kurtic, Diamanti, Borriello, Gomez
Fiorentina: Tatarusanu, Roncaglia, Rodriguez, Astori, Pasqual, Vecino, Borja Valero, Bernardeschi, Ilicic, Tello, Kalinic,
Infographic Source: www.sporticos.com
