Napoli slipped to a shock 2-1 defeat at Como last weekend and with Atalanta thrashing Empoli, the Bergamo club are back in the hunt for the Scudetto.
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Last weekend was fascinating in the race for this year’s Scudetto. Napoli extended their winless run to four Serie A games with a surprise 2-1 defeat at Como. They could only muster four goal attempts on target, despite largely dominating possession.
By contrast, wins for Inter and Atalanta heaped the pressure on Antonio Conte’s Napoli. Inter showed resilience to secure a late win over Genoa, but Atalanta stole the show.
The Bergamo outfit cruised to a commanding 5-0 win at Empoli, moving to within two points of Napoli. There’s no doubt that Atalanta are in good shape again after stuttering over the festive season. They have scored ten goals in their last three games and kept clean sheets in all three fixtures.
Atalanta are now the league’s joint-top goalscorers along with Inter, netting 59 goals in 26 games. Inter hold a slight defensive advantage, conceding just 24 goals to Atalanta’s 26.
This weekend sees Inter travel to Napoli in what can only be described as the biggest game of the season so far. A win for Inter opens up a four-point gap over Napoli, while three points for Napoli sees them reclaim top spot.
Atalanta are in a favorable position this weekend since at least one of their title rivals will drop points. They simply must take advantage with a home win over second-bottom Venezia. This is particularly important when you look at La Dea’s upcoming run of fixtures, which could hold Gian Piero Gasperini’s side back in their pursuit of a first-ever Scudetto.
It’s no surprise that Atalanta have found a resurgence in form. Their last five Serie A games have been against sides outside the top third of the table. During this run, La Dea remained unbeaten, winning three and drawing twice.
However, it’s their next run of games which will surely determine Atalanta’s Scudetto hopes. After Venezia, Atalanta lock horns with a Juventus side that have lost once all season, before hosting Inter. They then face Fiorentina and Lazio, who both have top four aspirations of their own. That’s followed by last season’s fourth-placed finishers, Bologna, and a trip to AC Milan in mid-April.
There are simply no easy games for Gasperini’s side after this weekend until the end of April. They will need to be near perfect in the next six weeks if they are to stay in contention for the Serie A summit. Given that they lost to Inter in their reverse fixture earlier in the season, the match on 16th March doesn’t look promising.
With odds of 8.50 to win the Serie A outright, the bookmakers already give Atalanta a mere 11.76% chance of lifting the trophy. Even if they lose two of those fixtures with teams in the top seven, it could open the door for Inter to create a bigger gap between themselves and La Dea.