Atalanta are one of the teams tipped to challenge for the title in Serie A this season but have endured a difficult start. They have a chance to get back on track at the Stadio Arechi against newly promoted Salernitana, who are still winless this term.
Salernitana have found it difficult adapting to life in Serie A and have lost all three of their opening matches. They head into Saturday’s match off the back of a 4-0 defeat to Torino in their previous fixture.
Aside from being one of two teams yet to register a single point this season, Salernitana have also struggled defensively. They have conceded 11 goals in just three matches this term and are coming off back-to-back 4-0 defeats having been beaten by Roma prior to the defeat against Torino.
Despite signing Simy Nwankwo who scored 20 Serie A goals for Crotone last season, Salernitana have struggled in attack this term. Fabrizio Castori's men have failed to score in their last two matches, while Nwankwo is still seeking his first goal for the club.
Things have not been particularly smooth for Atalanta this season with just one win from their opening three matches. They suffered a 2-1 defeat to Fiorentina in their previous Serie A fixture with Duvan Zapata getting their only goal from the spot.
Atalanta followed up the defeat to Fiorentina with a 2-2 draw at Villarreal in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday. They took an early lead from Remo Freuler and needed a late equaliser Robin Gosens after going behind.
Despite looking unconvincing at the start of the season, Atalanta have only suffered one defeat across all competitions. They are unbeaten on the road this season, a run that includes a 2-1 victory at Torino and will be confident of getting past an out of sorts Salernitana.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have Atalanta as overwhelming favourites at 1/3 with SBK. BetVictor is offering 21/2 for an unlikely Salernitana victory while a draw is set at odds of 9/2 with SBK.
Head to head
Atalanta have never lost to Salernitana with three wins and a draw from four previous meetings.
Players to watch
While Simy Nwankwo is still seeking his first goal of the season, he continues to lead the line for Salernitana. The striker could be tipped to finally get off the mark at 10/3 with Paddy Power.
Duvan Zapata marked his return from injury with a goal last time out against Fiorentina and will be looking to go on a scoring run. The Colombian striker is priced at 13/14 by SBK to get on the score sheet on Saturday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Atalanta are expected to claim a comfortable victory over Salernitana and could be backed in the -2 handicap market at 11/5 with Unibet. The Bergamo club could also be tipped to win both halves at 11/5 with MansionBet.
Atalanta are also likely to score in both halves at 10/11 with BoyleSport.
This Serie A match between Salernitana and Atalanta will be played on Sep 18, 2021 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Salernitana vs Atalanta prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
