Atalanta continue to have a good start to the 2019/20 Serie A campaign as they are third in the standings with a record of 6-2-1. The La Dea’s recent strong performance continued as they beat Udinese 7-1. Stefano Okaka opened the scoring for the Fruilani which gave them a 1-0 lead, yet a goal from Josip Illicic shortly after tied the game at 1-1. The outcome of the match changed when Nicholas Opoku was sent off at the 32nd minute after receiving a second yellow card in the match. With Udinese down a man for over half the match, Atalanta took advantage and scored six more goals which led to their 7-1 victory.
The squad will be highly motivated as they enter their mid-week match against Napoli. While very few imagined to see Atalanta in the top three of the standings, so far, they have proved many wrong and continue to impress week after week.
As for Napoli, they will come off a disappointing result against SPAL which saw them draw 1-1. Napoli opened the scoring at the ninth minute when Arkadiusz Milik found the back of the net on a pass from Allan. The lead was short as seven minutes afterwards, Jasmin Kurtic scored for SPAL and tied the match.
The Partenopei were expected to win and leave with the full three points, however, this didn’t happen and has set them back in the standings. They are currently in fourth place with a record of 5-2-2 and are three points behind Atalanta for third place and six points behind Juventus for first place. While Napoli lost valuable points, the draw came with a bigger loss as Kevin Malcuit left the match and it was determined to be damaged ligaments to his knee which has ended his season.
Napoli has shown signs of inconsistency this season and will need to be prepared if they are to earn three points against an Atalanta squad who has been really good this season.
Predicted line-up: Napoli vs Atalanta
Napoli (4-4-2): Meret; Ghoulam, Luperto, Koulibaly, Lorenzo; Zielinski, Ruiz, Allan, Callejon; Milik, Insigne
Atalanta (3-4-1-2): Gollini; Toloi, Kjaer, Djimsiti; Hateboer, Roon, Pasalic, Gosens; Malinovkskiy; Muriel, Ilicic
Injuries and suspensions
Napoli: Mario Rui (Injured), Nikola Makimovic (Injured), Elseid Hysaj (Injured), Kostas Manolas (Injured), and Kevin Malcuit (Out Indefinitely)
Atalanta: Duvan Zapata (Injured)
Players to watch
Luis Muriel has stepped up for Atalanta in the absence of injured Duvan Zapata. The striker has scored five goals in his last two Serie A matches and has been a great addition for the La Dea this season. The forward was acquired this past summer and has given Atalanta depth and another viable option upfront. Expect the forward to come out strong in their match against Napoli as his recent form and play off the ball has been very good.
Milik has been featured in their previous four matches after returning from a thigh injury. The forward has been a welcome addition to Napoli as, in his recent two fixtures, he has scored three goals and has won and tied these matches for the Partenopei. While he continues to regain the form, he had prior to his injury, the forward has shown good strides and will be a player to watch for against Atalanta.