Serie A Preview: Atalanta’s Home Strength Outstanding, Como’s Struggles to Score Make Points Hard to Come By

On September 24 at 2:45 AM, the fifth round of the 24/25 Serie A season continues with Atalanta hosting newly promoted Como at the Gewiss Stadium.

Last season, Atalanta performed excellently, not only ranking fourth in Serie A but also defeating Liverpool, Marseille, and Bayer Leverkusen consecutively in the Europa League to lift their first European trophy. Particularly noteworthy was their 3-0 victory in the final, ending Bayer Leverkusen’s unbeaten record of 54 games, a well-deserved triumph.

However, Atalanta suffered a significant blow during the summer transfer window when their main striker, Gianluca Scamacca, suffered a severe knee injury that ruled him out for the entire season. They had to spend 22 million euros to bring in the international forward, Ezequiel Ponce from Genoa, to fill the gap. They also paid the same amount to AC Milan for Charles De Ketelaere and spent 20 million on bringing in Pol Lirola, while paying 12 million to sign Callum Hudson-Odoi to strengthen their defense. Additionally, they signed Nicolo Zaniolo on loan for 6.4 million euros.

In the meantime, Atalanta sold Marten de Roon for 54.5 million euros, and players like Omar Colley, Aleksandr Kokorin, and Dusan Vlahovic all left, generating nearly 100 million euros in transfer fees.

After the start of the new season, Atalanta’s performance could only be considered average. They lost to Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup and have two wins and two losses in the first four rounds of Serie A. They beat Lecce convincingly but suffered a 0-4 defeat against the defending champions Inter Milan and lost 1-2 to the dark horse Torino. In their first Champions League group stage match last Friday, Atalanta gave Arsenal a lesson at home with an almost impenetrable defense that kept a clean sheet against the Premier League giants. If not for Ponce missing a penalty, they might have taken all three points, demonstrating considerable combativeness.

Atalanta’s attack quality is commendable, scoring eight goals in the first four rounds of Serie A, averaging two goals per game. Their total goal tally is only behind AC Milan with 11 goals in five matches, Inter Milan with 10 goals, and Napoli with nine goals in five matches. Unfortunately, Atalanta’s defensive performance has been poor, conceding eight goals in four rounds, averaging two goals conceded per game, which is clearly unsatisfactory.

Last season, under the leadership of Fabregas, Como successfully broke through from Serie B and returned to Serie A after many years. During the off-season, they signed famous players such as Varane, Roberto, and Belotti, and also signed the 19-year-old rising star Nico Paz from Real Madrid. However, after the first four rounds of the new season, they only managed two draws and two losses, along with Monza and Cagliari, becoming one of the three teams yet to win a match, currently sitting second-to-last in the league table.

Como’s problem lies in their insufficient ability to create and capitalize on scoring opportunities, scoring only three goals in four matches, with two of those coming from Cutrone. Meanwhile, they conceded seven goals defensively, which is also unsatisfactory.

Atalanta is very adept at playing at home, winning seven, drawing one, and losing two in their last ten matches at the Gewiss Stadium. Como, on the other hand, has won three, drawn three, and lost four in their last ten away matches. The two teams have only met five times in history, with Atalanta winning four and drawing one, remaining undefeated. However, their last Serie A encounter was back in the 02/03 season.

Overall, both Atalanta and Como are not satisfied with themselves, but the home team’s strength is clearly superior.

>>”>For more predictions and solutions for this match, click >>>