Atalanta vs Cremonese – News and Probable Lineups

Currently lagging behind the top six in Italy, a fired-up Atalanta BC is set to host struggling Serie A side Cremonese at their home ground in Bergamo on Monday evening.

Although Atalanta has revitalized their league campaign and advanced to the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia, Cremonese is facing a dire situation with nine consecutive matches without a win, putting them in a precarious position.

Match overview

With 23 points gathered from 12 league matches, Atalanta has climbed the table since Raffaele Palladino took over in November, maintaining their momentum through the week.

After putting on a strong performance against fellow top-six competitors Como last weekend—playing nearly the whole match with 10 men and relying on Marco Carnesecchi’s saves to secure a 0-0 draw—La Dea navigated through a challenging cup tie on Thursday night.

Seeking to avenge their loss in the 2024 final, Atalanta achieved a decisive 3-0 win over Juventus, advancing to the Coppa Italia semi-finals where they will face either Lazio or the defending champions Bologna.

Gianluca Scamacca marked his comeback by easily converting a penalty, followed by goals from substitutes Mario Pasalic and Kamaldeen Sulemana late in the game, all while the team managed to secure their eighth clean sheet under Palladino’s brief leadership.

Now preparing for a two-legged Champions League playoff against Borussia Dortmund later this month, Atalanta must redirect their focus to Serie A, where they lie in seventh position—just outside the automatic European qualification spots.

Next to visit the New Balance Arena will be the struggling Cremonese, providing the Nerazzurri the opportunity to achieve their fifth consecutive home victory in domestic affairs.

Since their previous encounter ended in a 1-1 draw in October, Cremonese has not secured a victory against Atalanta in any league match during this century—across both of Italy’s top divisions.

Moreover, Cremonese has never claimed all three points away from Bergamo in Serie A, making their historical record daunting ahead of Monday night, compounded by their current poor form.

Atalanta leads the league in fewest goals conceded in the current year—only one—whereas no team has scored fewer than the Grigiorossi, who have managed just two goals this calendar year.

With four matches yielding no goals, Davide Nicola’s squad is winless in nine and is increasingly facing relegation threats after a promising start.

Among several teams tied on 23 points, the Lombard club is still above the relegation zone, but survival expert Nicola faces mounting pressure to turn their fortunes around.

Their scoring drought continued with a lackluster 2-0 defeat to title contenders Inter de Milão last week, as they now face a daunting fixture list including matches against Atalanta, Roma, and AC Milan in the upcoming four matchdays.

Team News

The hosts will be unable to field teenager centre-back Honest Ahanor, who received a red card last week, along with captain Marten de Roon, who is also suspended. However, Palladino has a fully available squad apart from that, following the long-awaited return of Mitchel Bakker.

Having made few changes for the midweek match, he is expected to stick with a familiar lineup, as Gianluca Scamacca appears set to lead La Dea’s forward line ahead of Nikola Krstovic.

Former Cremonese goalkeeper Carnesecchi aims for his seventh clean sheet of the year; he currently boasts the highest save rate among Europe’s top five leagues (96%).

The Italy Under-21 star will face off against Cremonese’s struggling forwards Federico Bonazzolli and Jamie Vardy, both of whom have been stuck at five league goals for a spell, although Vardy did find the net in their previous encounter.

Recent signings Milan Djuric, Sebastiano Esposito, and Youssef Maleh all took to the field against Inter, with the latter coming on for important midfielder Jari Vandeputte, who is dealing with a muscle issue.

The Belgian could be back for Monday’s match, and wing-back Tommaso Barbieri returns from suspension, but Nicola will still be without the injured trio of Michele Collocolo, Antonio Sanabria, and Warren Bondo.

Atalanta BC probable starting XI:

Meatballs; Scalvini, Hien, Djimsiti; Zappacosta, Ederson, Pasalic, Bernasconi; De Ketelaere, Raspadori; Scam

Cremonese probable starting XI:

Audero; Terracciano, Baschirotto, Luperto; Barbieri, Thorsby, Grassi, Maleh, Pezzella; Bonazzoli, Vardy

Now firmly back in action, Atalanta’s offense is looking sharp, while they have the best defensive record in Serie A since the beginning of this year.

In contrast, Cremonese is struggling to find the back of the net, and confidence seems to have evaporated from last season’s Serie B playoff finalists, putting them on course for another defeat.