Atalanta vs Sampdoria

Atalanta’s bid to get their stuttering Serie A campaign back on track begins at the Gewiss Stadium as they take on relegation-battling Sampdoria.

Atalanta dispatched Olympiacos 3-0 in midweek Europa League action to reach the round of 16 and lift the spirits following a series of underwhelming domestic results. ‘La Dea’ head into proceedings winless in their last five Serie A matches in a row (D3, L2), failing to find the back of the net on three occasions in that period. Another failed attempt to land all three points would see Atalanta go six consecutive league games without winning for the first time since October 2018. But Gian Piero Gasperini’s men have the recent H2H stakes firmly on their side, having won four of their last six top-flight meetings with Sampdoria (D1, L1), including a comprehensive 3-1 reverse triumph in October. Yet, it’s worth noting that they’ve suffered three defeats in their last four Serie A H2Hs in Bergamo (W1).

On the other hand, Sampdoria’s 2-0 home victory over Empoli list time out lifted them four points clear of the Serie A drop zone as they now aim for back-to-back league wins for only the second time this season. Worryingly, though, ‘La Samp’ have lost each of their last three away league games without scoring, last experiencing a longer such streak in 2011 (5 that time). Curiously, Marco Giampaolo’s men are one of only three Serie A sides, alongside Atalanta and Venezia, to have scored the majority of their league goals this season in the first half of play (18/35). But when it comes to first-half action on the road, ‘I Blucerchiati’ have not impressed this term, with only three (25%) of their 12 Serie A travels featuring 2+ goals before the interval.