Serie A Preview: Atalanta - Chievo Verona

Atalanta look to bounce back from last weekend’s surprise defeat to Sampdoria with a victory over lowly Chievo Verona on Sunday afternoon…

Kick off: Sunday, March 01, 15:00 CET, Bergamo, Italy

Home Cooking

Atalanta currently sit in eighth place in the domestic table and have put together a successful season so far. The Nerazzurri have a realistic shot of securing a coveted UEFA Cup spot if their good form continues in the business end of the campaign.
Luigi Del Neri’s men were riding a season-high three-match winning streak before it was surprisingly snapped by Sampdoria last weekend. Del Neri was less than pleased with the outcome and warned his players to concentrate on survival rather than European glory.
"We look too much for beautiful goals,” he said, speaking after the Sampdoria loss. “There was talk of qualifying for Europe but I think about reaching safety. We might talk about Europe next season but then we can't afford drops in concentration like today. We are built to achieve safety and we have to do it quickly. Our objective remains safety and that's it."
Atalanta's inconsistency away from home has been one of their major flaws this season as they have only managed two wins on the road. This is in stark contrast to their home form; they have brushed aside the likes of Inter Milan and Rome with relative ease at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia.
Atalanta will look to bounce back from the disappointing loss to Samp and will welcome lowly Chievo to Bergamo on Sunday. The home side will be the heavy favourites and will need all three points to continue their European quest - whether their manager wants to admit it or not.

Survival Mode

Chievo have been mired in the relegation zone for most of the season but have been fighting off Serie A extinction with renewed vigour as of late, losing only one match in the new calendar year.
Domenico Di Carlo’s men drew their first match after the winter break but then went on to defeat Napoli and Reggina to give their supporters hope that safe land was on the horizon.
After four consecutive 1-1 draws, Chievo lost a controversial thriller to Fiorentina last weekend when Adrian Mutu scored an injury time winner on an attack that the Flying Donkeys thought began with a blatant foul on one of their players.
A precious point was lost and Di Carlo was less than pleased with the final outcome but urged his troops to put the defeat behind them
"There's no point talking about the unfavourable episodes against Fiorentina," he said. "I have nothing to say against the players. My team has shown personality but now we must concentrate on Atalanta."
Chievo will travel to Bergamo, where obtaining a positive result is easier said than done, to face Atalanta on Sunday and even a draw would go a long way in helping the Flying Donkey’s in their attempt soar out of the relegation zone by season’s end.

TEAM FORM

Atalanta

February 22 vs Sampdoria (A) LOST 1-0
February 15 vs Roma (H) WON 3-0
February 08 vs Cagliari (A) WON 1-0
February 01 vs Catania (H) WON 1-0
January 28 vs Bologna (A) LOST 1-0

Chievo Verona

February 22 vs Fiorentina (A) LOST 2-1
February 15 vs Catania (H) DREW 1-1
February 08 vs Torino (A) DREW 1-1
February 01 vs Sampdoria (H) DREW 1-1
January 28 vs Lecce (H) DREW 1-1

TEAM NEWS

Atalanta

Del Neri will be without the services of Cristiano Doni, Jose Leonardo Talamonti and Christian Vieri, who are all nursing various types of injuries.
Possible starting XI- Consigli- Garics, Capelli, Manfredini, Bellini- Ferreira Pinto, Cigarini, Guarente, Padoin, Valdes- Floccari

Chievo Verona

Di Carlo has no serious injuries to contend with but will be without the influential sharpshooter Vincenzo Italiano, who will miss out through suspension.
Possible starting XI- Sorrentino- Frey, Morero, Yepes, Mantovani- Luciano, Marcolini, Bentivoglio- Pinzi, Pellissier, Makinwa

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Luca Cigarini ( Atalanta )

The club’s marquee summer signing returned from a long injury lay-off and injected the midfield with some creativity and flair that sparked his side to three straight victories before losing to Sampdoria last weekend. He will be in the thick of things on Sunday afternoon as he tries to link up with Sergio Floccari in what should be a straightforward affair against Chievo

Sergio Pellissier ( Chievo Verona )

The Chievo captain has been a bit of a disappointment this season after leading the Flying Donkey’s out of the Serie B last term. He has found the back of the net only three times in 25 games and needs to find his goal scoring touch sooner than later if Chievo wish to retain their Serie A status.

PREDICTION

Atalanta are a tough nut to crack at home and even without Doni should cruise to a comfortable victory with Floccari bagging a brace in the process.

Atalanta 2-0 Chievo Verona

Max De Luca, Goal.com