Atalanta Aims to Close Gap on Napoli in Serie A Showdown

BERGAMO, Italy — Atalanta will look to close the gap on Serie A leaders Napoli with a victory over Juventus on Tuesday night, as both teams return to league action after disappointing exits in the Supercoppa Italiana. The match, rescheduled from Week 19 due to the Supercoppa, kicks off at 19:45 GMT at the Gewiss Stadium.

Atalanta, currently third in the table, sit nine points clear of Juventus and are in strong form, with 11 wins and three draws since their last league defeat on September 24. However, they have been held to consecutive draws by Lazio and Udinese in recent weeks. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side will rely on the attacking duo of Charles De Ketelaere and Ademola Lookman, supported by Mario Pasalic in midfield.

Juventus, meanwhile, are grappling with an injury crisis that has left them without a recognized striker. Manager Thiago Motta has been forced to deploy Nico Gonzalez as a makeshift center-forward, with Weston McKennie moving into a more advanced role alongside Kenan Yildiz and Teun Koopmeiners. Despite being unbeaten in Serie A this season, Juventus have drawn 12 of their 19 games and have only one win in their last seven matches.

“The squad is recovering after the derby,” Motta said in a pre-match press conference. “It is important to recover well both physically and mentally. We are angry because we didn’t win, but we are already focused on the next match, which will be very important, against Atalanta, who are in excellent form.”

Motta emphasized the need for his team to raise their level if they are to secure a Champions League spot next season. “We are not happy with where we are now. Our goal is to make it into the Champions League places, and we must raise our level,” he said. “But it is futile to look too far ahead; we only need to think about tomorrow’s game.”

Atalanta will welcome back Mateo Retegui after several weeks out, but Odilon Kossounou, Juan Cuadrado, and Gianluca Scamacca remain sidelined. Berat Djimsiti is available, though Giorgio Scalvini is not fully fit. Juventus, meanwhile, are without Dusan Vlahovic, Francisco Conceicao, Arkadiusz Milik, Gleison Bremer, and Juan Cabal due to injuries.

Koopmeiners, who joined Juventus from Atalanta in the summer, will face his former club for the first time. Motta praised the midfielder, saying, “Koopmeiners is exactly the player and the person I expected. He transmits so much to his teammates and sacrifices himself for them. Tomorrow will be a special game for him.”

Juventus will also see the return of Manuel Locatelli from suspension, while Andrea Cambiaso continues his recovery from an ankle injury. “Cambiaso is improving a lot,” Motta said. “He is fundamental for us, and we are happy to have the Cambiaso from the beginning of the season back.”

With both teams eager to bounce back from recent setbacks, Tuesday’s clash promises to be a pivotal moment in the Serie A title race.