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In their last match of the year, Atalanta BC will look to finish 2023 strongly as they play against Lecce at the Gewiss Stadium this Saturday.
After a recent loss to Bologna, Atalanta finds themselves just four places ahead of Lecce in the Serie A standings, currently sitting outside the European qualification spots.
They suffered a setback in their previous game against Bologna, conceding a late goal from Lewis Ferguson and missing out on securing points, extending their run without a league win. Despite recent wins against AC Milan and Salernitana, the loss to Bologna dropped them to eighth place, trailing five points behind fourth-placed Bologna.
While they comfortably advanced in the Europa League, Atalanta has struggled in Serie A, losing seven out of their 17 matches. Another loss in the upcoming match would see them reach eight defeats from 18 games for the first time since 2015, before Gian Piero Gasperini took charge.
Defensively, Atalanta has conceded a significant number of goals from set-piece situations, making up 40% of their total goals conceded, which remains the highest among Serie A teams. This weakness often undermines their attacking prowess.
Despite this, Atalanta has been strong in scoring, particularly at home, netting seven goals in their last two home Serie A matches and a total of 43 goals in 2023, the most among Serie A teams this year.
With Luis Muriel regaining form and Ademola Lookman performing well, Atalanta is determined to bounce back from their recent goal-scoring struggle and improve their record against Lecce in their upcoming encounter.
Lecce emerged victorious in both encounters against Atalanta last season, securing 2-1 wins at home and away. Now, they're aiming for a third consecutive Serie A triumph over Atalanta, a feat they've never achieved before.
Despite their recent 2-0 loss to league leaders Inter Milan at San Siro, which ended a five-game unbeaten streak, Lecce sits comfortably in mid-table with two games remaining in the first half of the 2023-24 season.
With 20 points collected so far, Lecce is enjoying their best start since 2004, placing them in 12th position and seven points clear of the relegation zone. Their strong performances at Stadio Via del Mare have been pivotal in this achievement.
Coach Roberto D'Aversa is still working on addressing their struggles away from home. While they managed to hold Fiorentina in Florence and came close to defeating Roma in the capital, they are one of four teams yet to secure an away victory.
Trips to Inter and Atalanta haven't been ideal opportunities to break this streak, but Lecce has had recent success against Atalanta and heads north hopeful to end the year on a high note.
With Rafael Toloi and Jose Luis Palomino facing uncertainties due to injuries, Atalanta's manager Gian Piero Gasperini might stick with the defensive trio that kicked off against Bologna recently.
The goalkeeper position remains undecided between Marco Carnesecchi and former top choice Juan Musso. Gasperini now has various attacking options at his disposal.
Ademola Lookman partnered with Charles De Ketelaere in the last game, but Luis Muriel, who has shown resurgence by scoring in his last two home matches after an impactful spell with Lecce in Serie A, could feature prominently.
Gianluca Scamacca is also in the mix, but El Bilal Toure, who has been out for an extended period, is not expected to return until next month at the earliest.
Meanwhile, Lecce will miss Marin Pongracic and Lameck Banda due to suspensions. Banda received a red card for dissent and will also sit out the upcoming clash with Cagliari. Kastriot Demarku's absence due to a knee injury might prompt Ahmed Touba to step in for the settled back four.
Lecce boasts the only Serie A team with two defenders making 38 or more appearances in 2023. Valentin Gendrey and Federico Baschirotto have each logged over 3300 minutes this year and are set to start again in Bergamo.
