Juventus vs Atalanta: Gasperini's 7th attempt to beat Allegri in the championship will fail again

Juventus had a terrible match in the Champions League on Tuesday, losing 0-4 to Chelsea in London. Saturday's meeting in the Italian championship, while not promising a similar failure, is expected to be no less difficult. The Bianconeri will take on Atalanta. Will Max Allegri's team be able to cope with the difficulties and rehabilitate themselves for the European debacle? Let's choose several options to bet on.

It is better to lose in a devastating, albeit top-tier, match that does not decide anything than later be crushed coming face to face with problems appearing at a key moment. That's how you could describe Juventus' dramatic defeat at Stamford Bridge. Max Allegri's side had secured their spot in the Champions League playoffs before heading to London, and their loss to Chelsea only resulted in them losing first place in their group. Not a serious letdown, to put it mildly.

Juventus have won two league games in a row. First, the Bianconeri thrashed Fiorentina 1-0 in the dying minutes. Then, they thrashed Maurizio Sarri's Lazio in Rome (2-0). With just two wins in a row, the prospect of winning the Scudetto, which is of course a dream in Turin, is no longer a crazy idea. Juventus are now 11 points behind leaders Napoli and AC Milan after 13 rounds played. Given that there are still 75 points left in the draw, this handicap doesn’t seem insurmountable.

Atalanta's game in Switzerland against the Young Boys, although the Bergamas did not even lose there, is hardly better than Juve's defeat in London. Gian Piero Gasperini's team would have ensured themselves at least qualification to the Europa League playoffs if they had been successful. But as a result, they almost lost. 3-3 – Luis Muriel saved Bergamo from an unexpected loss on minute 88. Although Atalanta need only beat Villarreal to continue their UEFA Champions League title challenge this spring, the Bergamo side could even miss out on the Europa League. A loss to the Spaniards, coupled with the away win for the Young Boys over unstable Manchester United who have solved the problem in the Champions League will relegate Atalanta to last place in the quartet.

The last round of the championship saw Atalanta have no problems defeating Spezia 5-2 on home field. Currently, Atalanta sits 4th in the Serie A standings with 25 points, that is, 7 points behind the first place and a three-point handicap from fifth-placed Roma.

The most important period In the history of face-offs between the rivals is between December 3, 2016 and May 19, 2019 – the confrontation between Massimiliano Allegri and Gian Piero Gasperini. With the Coppa Italia matches, Gasperini has only 1 win over Allegri, as well as 4 draws and 5 defeats. In Serie A exclusively, 4 draws and 2 wins for Allegri's Juve, both in Turin, have been recorded in 6 matches.

Both teams had very energy-consuming matches during the week in the Champions League. Still, Juventus has a definite advantage here. First, from the tournament point of view, the match with Chelsea was not as important for the Bianconeri as the trip to the Young Boys for Atalanta. Secondly, the game in London was decided as early as the second half when Chelsea took a three-goal lead while Atalanta had to fight hard in Switzerland until the final whistle. Juve's margin of strength could be the most important factor in Allegri's team's success in the upcoming game.

Prediction: Allegri's Juventus will not lose to Gasperini's Atalanta in Serie A for the 7th game in a row. What's more, the Turin side can also win. The team is already "Allegri-style" great defensively, and they have been struggling in the attack lately, it won’t be a problem in a match against Atalanta. The Bergamo side conceded 2 from Lazio and Inter, 3 from AC Milan, and even 2 last round from Spezia. Atalanta's powerful offense will produce a goal, but the weak defense will not allow the team to claim points.

• BTTS+1X for 2.20;
• W1 for 2.10;
• Correct Score 2-1 for 8.50.