Venezia will test their strength against a team that eats weak defences for breakfast. Atalanta have produced some extreme scorelines this season already. Is it time for another one?
Like them or not, the Europa League champions are allergic to boring football. Every single match ends with a huge number of goals, and you never know what to expect from this team.
Their attack has been the most effective one in Serie A with 16 goals and at the same time, they have the third weakest defence in the league with 13 conceded in seven fixtures.
There is a certain tendency within their performance. They do extremely well against teams from the bottom end but usually get crushed by the teams in contention. They beat Lecce 4:0 and then lost to Inter with the same scoreline.
Nevertheless, La Dea will enter this contest on a high after scoring eight goals in the last couple of games.
How the bookies view it: Less value than usual
Bookmakers give Atalanta a huge advantage ahead of this fixture. Betano gave them 3/5 to win on Sunday while Venezia have been given 22/5. The draw currently sits at 22/7.
Recent head to head: Easy to predict
Venezia's last season in Serie A was three years ago and they faced Atalanta three times since then. Unfortunately for the Winged Lions, they lost every time and the combined goal difference is 9:1 in favor of the Black and Blues.
Players to watch: Seria A's top scorer to shine again
One player has played exceptional football for Atalanta this season and stands out with seven goals in seven appearances. Mateo Retegui has scored an average of 1.32 goals per 90 minutes this season and sits as the top scorer in Serie A after seven rounds.
Not only did he score a hat-trick in his last appearance for Atalanta against Genoa, but he continued with goals against Belgium and Israel during the international break. He is the best pick ahead of this round.
Probable line-ups
Venezia: Joronen, Idzes, Svoboda, Sverko, Candela, Ellertsson, Caviglia, Busio, Zampano, Oristanio, Pohjanpalo
Atalanta: Carnesecchi, De Roon, Hien, Kolasinac, Zappacosta, Ederson, Pasalic, Bellanova, Lookman, De Ketelaere, Retegui
Anything else catch the eye?
Atalanta's exceptional goal-scoring form, combined with Venezia's defensive problems, hint at a wild afternoon at Stadio Pierluigi Penzo. The Black and Blues' last visit to this stadium concluded with a 1-3 win.
Atalanta are a win away from the Top 4 right now and there is no room for errors against the current weakest team in the league. At the same time, the visitors conceded 13 goals in seven matches already and even a team like Venezia will have chances to score.
We back Atalanta to win but it will not be as straightforward as people expect. A scoreline in the range of 1:3 looks highly possible.
This Serie A match between Venezia and Atalanta will be played on Oct 20, 2024 and kick off at 14:00. Check below for our tipsters best Venezia vs Atalanta prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
