Despite their unbeaten start, Atalanta have not been convincing under Maurizio Sarri. Roma have scored eight unanswered goals and with Donyell Malen scoring five of those, I am sticking with the winning formula.
Key Stats
- Roma have won their last 7 matches (Serie A).
- Roma have won to nil in their last 4 matches (Serie A).
- Roma’s Donyell Malen has scored 12 goals in his last 9 Serie A matches.
HTH
Roma haven’t beaten Atalanta since 2022 but still hold a 61-37 advantage alongside 44 draws.
Fast Start for Roma
Roma had a tremendous conclusion to the previous campaign and couldn’t have asked for a better start.
Donyell Malen scored 14 goals in 18 appearances and got off to a flyer. He scored the opening three goals in a 4-0 win against Fiorentina, Paulo Dybala assisting all three.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side won 4-0 at Lecca last time out, Malen scoring the first two goals. New signing Rodrigo Mora came off the bench to score for his new club.
Sarri's Side Struggling in Attack
Atalanta started the season with Maurizio Sarri in charge and although undefeated, it has been far from convincing.
The Bergamo club got past Hapoel Tel Aviv in the Conference League playoffs. A disappointing 0-0 draw in Italy was followed by a 1-0 win in Hungary, Gianluca Scamacca’s goal the difference.
Sarri saw his new side make a winning start in Serie A, defeating Sassuolo 2-1 at home despite having 0.89-2.71 xG.
It was a similar story against Bologna on Monday, Lazar Samardzic’s 95th minute goal sealing a fortunate 1-0 victory. It was Atalanta’s second shot on target, ending with 0.16-1.06 xG.
Predicted Lineups & Team News
Roma (3-4-2-1) Mile Svilar; Daniele Ghilardi, Gianluca Mancini, Mario Hermoso; Emanuele Lulli, Manu Koné, Bryan Cristante, Wesley; Matìas Soulé, Paulo Dybala; Donyell Malen
Evan Ndicka is doubtful here so Daniele Ghilardi could start in central defence once again. Devyne Rensch is battling a muscle injury.
Nahuel Molina could start at right-back but 19-year-old Emanuele Lulli, who started the first two games, has been playing well.
Matías Soulé and Rodrigo Mora compete for one of the playmaker positions behind Donyell Malen.
Atalanta (4-3-3) Marco Carnesecchi; Raoul Bellanova, Odilon Kossounou, Giorgio Scalvini, Sead Kolasinac; Lazar Samardzic, Gianluca Gaetano, Éderson; Charles De Ketelaere, Gianluca Scamacca, Giacomo Raspadori
Centre-backs Thomas Kristensen and Isak Hien are battling injuries with winger Kamaldeen Sulemana out for another month.
Lazar Samardzic could come into midfield with Mario Pasalic making way. It would be no surprise to see Sarri make some changes to his attack.