Atalanta vs Roma

An injury depleted Atalanta Bergamo return home looking to snap a bad run which has seen them win just 1 of their last 5 matches with 3 losses along the way. They will have to do it against none other than 2^nd place Roma who need the points in the worst way as well if they want to keep pace with an Inter Milan outfit that seem unbeatable these days.

Atalanta at this time are on their worst run of the season. The 1-1 draw away to Livorno in their last contest saw them drop to 8^th place in the Serie A table with 22 points, 1 back of Napoli and 1 ahead of 9^th place Sampdoria. The Bergamaschi had been in the UEFA Cup zones of the league table for most of the season but this recent string of disappointing results has them in danger of falling into the wrong half of the table. The main cause of these poor displays has been the injury situation. Manager Gigi Del Neri is missing, among others, Talamonti, Costinha, Inzaghi and Rivalta. In the case of the Argentine he is expected to miss 3 weeks. Meanwhile, Cristiano Doni, who has been their top player by far is out suspended this week. Further complicating matters is the status of De Ascentis and Muslimovic who are both considered doubtful at this time. If they can’t go, Atalanta could be missing up to 6 regular starters this week.

Roma come into this contest as healthy as they have been all season. Francesco Totti, Chilean David Pizarro and Daniele De Rossi have all been cleared to play. The fact that Atalanta are in a weakened state is music to their ears as the pressure is really on for them. Roma are on an 11 match unbeaten run and have conceded just 1 goal over their last 4 matches. Yet despite this superior form, they are are still 7 points back of Inter Milan and just 1 point ahead of Juventus. Therefore, they must win this match away to Atalanta if they hope to keep pace with the big boys. The good news is that Roma are no strangers to winning on the road. They are one of only two unbeaten teams away from home with 5 wins and 4 draws in 9 matches.

It would take a very big performance from Atalanta to pull this one out. Not only are they facing a full strength Roma outfit that is playing well, they have not played like world beaters at home this year as evidenced by their 3 wins in 7 matches. Look for Roma to take the points.

Prediction: Roma (0-1)