Atalanta vs Napoli – News and Probable Lineups

After a surprising halt to their winning run earlier in the week, Atalanta BC will look to challenge the Italian champions when Napoli comes to Bergamo on Sunday.

Both teams are fighting for a top-four spot in Serie A, yet La Dea could soon find themselves joining the Partenopei in a battle to stay in Europe.

Match overview

Atalanta’s hopes of directly qualifying for the last 16 vanished after they lost their last two group stage matches, and they encountered another blow in the Champions League on Tuesday when they fell to Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their playoff.

Having conceded early, the Nerazzurri ultimately lost 2-0, leaving them with a tough task in the return leg next week.

Before this setback, they enjoyed a streak of three consecutive victories across all tournaments, including a 3-0 triumph over Juventus to secure a spot in the Coppa Italia semi-finals and solidifying their rise in the Serie A table.

As one of Italy’s form teams, Atalanta remains unbeaten domestically in 2026, with seven wins and two draws, highlighted by their recent 2-0 win over Lazio in Rome last weekend.

Raffaele Palladino has seen his squad gain 20 points this calendar year, ranking second to the dominant league leaders Inter de Milão.

With a current run of four straight home victories in Serie A, La Dea aims to continue that trend this weekend, promising an entertaining fixture ahead.

In their past six encounters in Bergamo, both Atalanta and Napoli have found the net every time, averaging four goals per match.

Now trailing eight points behind La Dea, Napoli, once strong contenders, have dropped out of the title race after winning the Supercoppa Italiana in late December.

With their current third-place standing – 11 points behind Inter – their hopes for the Scudetto appear nearly extinguished, with recent exits from both the Champions League and Coppa Italia compounding the pressure.

Thus, achieving a top-four finish is now the main objective for the Partenopei, who face competition from several other clubs.

Last week, they managed to maintain a slight edge over one of those teams, extending an impressive unbeaten run in Serie A at Stadio Maradona, with Alisson Santos netting an equalizer against Roma in the Derby del Sole.

However, Antonio Conte’s squad has been riddled with injuries: in their last four league fixtures, Napoli conceded a concerning eight goals, compared to just seven in their previous ten.

With seven games without a clean sheet across all competitions, defensive mistakes are becoming commonplace. After Donyell Malen’s penalty last Sunday, they have allowed the most penalties this season in Serie A (six from eight conceded).

Still, Conte tends to elicit the best performances from his players against formidable opponents: among the current top seven, only Milan have earned more points than Napoli’s 15, while Atalanta has managed just seven.

One significant encounter included a 3-1 victory at the Maradona during November’s earlier match, and the southern side also notched four successive wins in Bergamo over the past five years.

Team News

Since their victory over Lazio, Atalanta has faced a challenging week, as they were defeated in Dortmund and will be without ex-Napoli player Giacomo Raspadori for a month due to a flexor injury.

Key playmaker Charles De Ketelaere is already out with a knee issue, but otherwise, Palladino has a fully available squad to select from.

If he decides to rotate his lineup before the second leg of the Champions League playoff, Nikola Krstovic might take the place of Gianluca Scamacca, who has scored in his last two matches against Napoli.

While Krstovic is Atalanta’s leading scorer in Serie A, Rasmus Hojlund from Napoli is just one goal ahead with eight league strikes this season.

Another goal-scoring option, Scot McTominay, is dealing with a tendon injury and remains doubtful, which might prompt Eljif Elmas to step in again; the latter has netted three times in his last three appearances in Bergamo.

Conte still has to contend with long-term absentees Kevin De Bruyne and Frank Anguissa, alongside captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo and winger David Neres, while rock-solid defender Amir Rrahmani recently sustained a thigh injury that could sideline him until April.

In light of this, the return of Juan Jesus from suspension is opportune, with the Brazilian expected to slot straight into a constantly shifting defense.

Atalanta BC probable starting XI:

Carnesecchi; Scalvini, Djimsiti, Ahanor; Zappacosta, Ederson, De Roon, Bernasconi; Samardzic, Zalewski; Krstovic

Napoli probable starting XI:

Milinkovic-Savic; Beukema, Good morning, Jesus; Gutierrez, Lobotka, Elmas, Spinazzola; Politano, Vergara; Hojlund

Atalanta may find themselves in greater need of the points compared to Napoli, yet they could be sidetracked by a significant European clash approaching on Wednesday.

Despite numerous absences, the Scudetto holders typically put up a formidable challenge against other top-four rivals, so Conte and co might leave with a draw.