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Third-placed Juventus travel to take on fourth-placed Atalanta in Italian Serie A action at the Gewiss Stadium on Sunday.
With three points separating third and fifth in the log, remaining in the top four by the end of the game week will be top on the agenda for both sides.
Atalanta made it three wins on the spin when they claimed a hard-fought victory over Fiorentina last time out.
In a five-goal thriller at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, Josip Ilicic scored the decisive goal in the 70th minute to hand Gian Piero Gasperini’s men the win.
Atalanta’s impressive form in recent weeks has seen them surge into fourth place in the league table, one point behind Juventus.
Meanwhile, Juventus know they could drop into fourth place, and possibly out of the top four, should they fall to a defeat on Sunday.
With their Scudetto chase all but over, failure to win here could be detrimental to their race for a place in next season’s Champions League competition.
However, victory against Napoli was followed by a 3-1 win over Genoa last week and this could serve as a huge boost for the Bianconeri.
Atalanta vs Juventus Head-To-Head
With 28 wins in their last 42 meetings, Juventus have been utterly dominant in this fixture. Atalanta have managed only four wins, while nine games have ended in draws.
However, the spoils have been shared in three of their last four matches, with their most recent encounter ending in a 1-1 draw back in December.
Atalanta Form Guide (all competitions): W-L-W-W-W
Juventus Form Guide (all competitions): W-L-D-W-W
Atalanta vs Juventus Team News
Atalanta
The hosts will be without the services of defender Hans Hateboer, who is sidelined with a foot injury. He was joined on the treatment table by Matteo Pessina, while Cristian Romero was suspended for one game due to accumulated bookings.
Injured: Hans Hateboer, Matteo Pessina
Suspended: Cristian Romero
Juventus
Juventus will be boosted by the return of central defensive duo Merih Demiral and Leonardo Bonucci, who have tested negative for COVID-19. However, Federico Bernardeschi remains in isolation and is the only guaranteed absentee for the visitors.
With 23 goals in 25 games, Cristiano Ronaldo has been a standout performer in Serie A. We expect the Portuguese to spearhead the Bianconero attack once again.
Injured: None
COVID-19: Federico Bernardeschi
Suspended: None
Atalanta vs Juventus Predicted XI
Atalanta Predicted XI (3-4-1-2): Pierluigi Gollini (GK); Rafael Toloi, Cristian Romero, Berat Djimsiti; Joakim Maehle, Marten de Roon, Remo Freuler, Robin Gosens; Ruslan Malinovskyi; Luis Muriel, Duvan Zapata
Juventus Predicted XI (3-5-2): Wojciech Szczesny (GK); Danilo, Matthijs de Ligt, Leonardo Bonucci; Federico Chiesa, Weston McKennie, Adrien Rabiot, Arthur Melo, Paulo Dybala; Alvaro Morata, Cristiano Ronaldo
Atalanta vs Juventus Prediction
A total of 132 goals have been scored between Juventus and Atalanta this season, so we can expect an entertaining clash on Sunday.
We fancy a draw as the sides are evenly-matched on paper.
Prediction: Atalanta 2-2 Juventus
