It was time for Atalanta to wake up and show their true potential, but they still have a lot to prove, and a match against league leaders Inter Milan gives them just that opportunity.
Atalanta's strange start to the season, which included seven draws in the first nine rounds of Serie A, is now far behind them, with Raffaele Palladino's men boasting six wins in their last seven games in all competitions.
Their only slip-up since mid-November was a strange 3-1 defeat away to Verona. The improvements in attack are evident, with La Dea scoring 2+ goals in five of those last seven games, while recording victories over teams such as Chelsea and Eintracht Frankfurt.
After their disappointing performance in the Supercoppa Italiana last week, Inter Milan can at least be comforted by the fact that their performance in Serie A is as good as it gets.
The title race this season will go down to the wire, but the Nerazzurri are definitely the most convincing team at the moment, as evidenced by their goal difference.
Their city rivals AC Milan are second in terms of goals scored with 24 in 15 rounds. Inter have scored a whopping 34.
How the bookies view it: Cautious away advantage
Bookmakers are expecting fireworks, but still give a significant advantage to the Nerazzurri days before the match. At the moment, you can back Atalanta at 11/4 or Inter at 1/1. If you think there is a chance of a draw, you can back it at 5/2.
Recent head-to-head: Inter are unbeaten in seven years
Although Atalanta has become a formidable team in recent years, this has not carried over into their matches against Inter Milan. It can be said that every meeting between the two teams ends in tears for La Dea.
Inter have not lost to Atalanta since 2018 or in 15 consecutive matches, while winning the last eight. In the last four, they have not even conceded a goal and scored at least two in each.
Players to watch: Martinez is back to his old self
It is immediately noticeable when Lautaro Martinez is in form because Inter start scoring significantly more goals. After a rather weak 2024/25 campaign, the Argentine now has 12 goals in all competitions, contributing to five goals in his last five games.
At Atalanta, we can single out Gianluca Scamacca, who has been instrumental in the string of victories over the past month. The Italian has also contributed to five goals in his last five games, scoring in three consecutive matches.
Probable line-ups
Atalanta: Carnesecchi, Scalvini, Hien, Kolasinac, Zappacosta, de Roon, Ederson, Bernasconi, Ketelaere, Zalewski, Scamacca
Inter Milan: Sommer, Bisseck, Akanji, Bastoni, Henrique, Barella, Zielinski, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco, Thuram, Martinez
Anything else catch the eye?
Although we expect Inter to continue their winning streak against the hosts, we expect it to be more challenging this time and they will have to work hard for the three points.
Atalanta are in really great form and have been scoring a lot more goals since they changed managers. They have scored at least twice in each of their last four home games. We believe they will end the negative streak of H2Hs without a goal against Inter Milan.
Think both sides will find the net? Our BTTS Masterclass explains how to spot the fixtures where goals are a given.
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