Serie A: Atalanta vs. Napoli Betting Preview, Odds, Prediction

The meeting between Atalanta and Napoli is the biggest one this week in Italy. Two big teams who are chasing the European competitions will clash on Thursday, providing a wonderful opportunity for all the soccer fans across the globe to enjoy. Even though hosts seem secure in the fourth place of the Serie A standings, they can’t relax for one moment, because there are too many games until the end of the campaign. Napoli is one win away from a direct spot in the Europa League. Still, Gattuso’s side has AC Milan breathing down their neck, and waiting for a chance to jump over them and snatch the ticket for Europe.

Preview

Atalanta (+110) won all three matches since the restart, with ten goals scored and 5 allowed. All the contests saw over 3.5 goals and both teams to score, meaning that La Dea definitely hasn’t changed anything in its style of play.

Fierce offense, flamboyant attacks, and very aggressive approach that is the philosophy of Gian Piero Gasperini, who transformed the team from Bergamo from a mediocre side, into one of the most popular clubs in Europe, all because of the way his boys play.

Atalanta is the most efficient team in Italy, with 80 goals scored, 21 one more than Juventus, and 14 than Lazio, with a game in hand compared to both.

Napoli (+330) still didn’t lose since the restart, with the note that Partenopei played two more games due to their Coppa Italia challenges. They would beat Juventus in the finals after a penalty shootout, and not only save the season, but turn it into a positive one.

After that, Gattuso and his crew defeated Verona on the road, and SPAL at home, with the note that they allowed just one and scored five goals during that time. The former AC Milan midfielder transformed Napoli into a team with very solid defense.

Latest News

Berisha and Malinovsky are off. The Albanian international broke his hand, and the Ukrainian reached a yellow card limit.

On the other side, Malcuit is out because of his knee problems.

Head to Head Matches

The first clash of the season ended 2-2. It was a very good game in Naples, with both teams playing open and attractive. Eventually, Napoli did leave a better impression, but they lost focus four minutes before the end, dropping a win because of Josip Ilicic’s goal.

Nikola Maksimovic and Milik scored for the hosts, and Freuler delivered the second goal for the guests.

Overall, six of the previous seven head to head games ended with over 2.5 goals and both teams to score.

Prediction

These teams don’t know to play differently than to attack all the time and expect heavy artillery on Thursday night at Atleti Azzurri. Even though Napoli did improve its defense as told above, that won’t count in this one, because we have Atalanta on the other side. Therefore, over 3.5 goals are the first suggestion with the odds at +130. If we add both teams to score to the original recommendation, the moneyline is even higher at +150.

 

If you are interested in checking out out preview for the EPL derby between Manchester City and Liverpool, follow this link.