Atalanta have enough attacking firepower to surge to a comfortable victory over newly promoted Spezia when the teams meet at Stadio Dino Manuzzi on Saturday.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s men were the top scorers in Serie A during each of the past two seasons. They fired in 98 goals last term and finished just five points behind champions Juventus.
Atalanta have made a habit of racking up huge scorelines when facing weak opponents, and that could spell bad news for Spezia.
A Struggling Defence
The Cesena-based club finished third in Serie B last term, with 17 wins from 38 games, and then secured promotion via the playoffs.
They have exceeded expectations in the top flight, and they are currently 13th, with two wins, two draws and three defeats from seven matches.
However, Spezia have struggled against teams that are strong in attack. They lost 4-1 at home to in-form Sassuolo, suffered a 3-0 defeat to AC Milan and lost 4-1 at home against Juventus at the start of November.
They seemingly lack the defensive nous to cope with elite forwards – Cristiano Ronaldo and Rafael Leao tore them to shreds – and that does not bode well for the visit of Atalanta.
Papu Gomez Ready to Shine
Gasperini’s side have not exactly come flying out of the blocks this season, but they are just four points behind league leaders AC Milan, and victory on Saturday would probably see them move into the top four.
They have struggled defensively, as is generally the case, but Atalanta are once again the top scorers in the division, with 18 goals in seven games.
Atalanta have no notable injury concerns, so Gasperini should be able to unleash the likes of Papu Gomez, Duvan Zapata and Josip Ilicic on Spezia in this game.
An away victory therefore looks likely, and Atalanta have the quality to score a few goals in this match.
Tip: Atalanta -1.25 Asian handicap
Stake: One unit
