WE'VE sealed another stellar signing for the season with Serie A don Paolo Bandini bringing his expertise to the site thanks to our partner Unibet.
Paolo is an Anglo-Italian sportswriter who pens a superb weekly Serie A column for the Guardian and his other credits include ESPN, the BBC and TalkSport as well as making regular appearances on the Football Weekly podcast.
He's a Trevi Fountain of knowledge and we're delighted to have him on board. Here he previews Inter at Atalanta.
Atalanta v Inter (Sat 7.45pm)
What emotions must Luciano Spalletti have felt as he watched Roma topple Barcelona at the Stadio Olimpico? After five-and-a-half seasons as manager of the Giallorossi, split across two stints, it is inevitable that he still feels a connection to the club.
And yet, his Inter team need to find a way to get in front of either Roma or Lazio if they are to return to the Champions League.
The Nerazzurri sit fifth, one point behind both Roman clubs, but the latter two are set to go head-to-head on Sunday night. They cannot both win, so an Inter victory over Atalanta would guarantee Spalletti a spot in the top four come the end of this weekend.
Easier said than done. Atalanta have held Juventus, Lazio and Fiorentina at the Atleti Azzurri d’Italia, not to mention their wins over Everton and Lyon in the Europa League. They beat Inter here last season, too.
Both teams have changed a good deal since, but the visitors also arrive here without the suspended Marcelo Brozovic: a player whose switch into a deep-lying creative role had been a key element in their recent upturn in form.
Atalanta can make life difficult in the middle of the park, Marten De Roon, Remo Freuler and Bryan Cristante representing the strength of this side. But do they have enough firepower to do any damage themselves with top scorer Josip Ilicic looking unlikely to shake off a knee injury in time to make the starting line-up, Papu Gomez struggling for goals and striker Andrea Petagna serving a ban of his own?
Paolo's Tips
- Atalanta 0, Inter 1 (7-1, Unibet)
- Perisic to score first (7-1, Unibet)
- Under 2.5 goals (37-50, Unibet)
Anglo-Italian Paolo Bandini writes about Italian football for the Guardian and his tips appear here thanks to our football partner at MrFixitsTips, Unibet. They're making a big splash in the UK betting scene and if you join them today you can claim up to £30 in Welcome Bonuses when you deposit and place your first bet.
