Atalanta vs Venezia

Gewiss Stadium sets the stage for a high-stakes Serie A showdown between Atalanta and Venezia.

Atalanta ended a disappointing February on a high note, demolishing Empoli 5-0 to stay within striking distance of Serie A pacesetters Inter Milan. Despite dropping points in six out of nine league outings post-Christmas (W3, D5, L1), Gian Piero Gasperini’s charges trail ‘I Nerazzurri’ by only three points. Already out of the Coppa Italia and Champions League, ‘La Dea’ can focus on bringing home their first-ever top-flight title. They’ve massively improved at the back after a leaky patch, keeping three consecutive clean sheets in Serie A, and could make it four in a row for the first time since 1997. Furthermore, they’ve got the better of Venezia in their last six H2Hs, including five without conceding, suggesting a piece of club history is well within reach. 

In the meantime, Venezia delivered a spirited performance to hold top-four hopefuls Lazio to a scoreless home draw last weekend. However, it marked their third consecutive scoring blank in Serie A, contributing to the division’s third-worst scoring record of only 22 goals. Despite only winning three times in the opening 26 rounds, the visitors languish only four points adrift of safety amid a dreadful nine-game winless league run (D4, L5). Moreover, Eusebio Di Francesco’s men head into proceedings as the only team in Serie A yet to win an away match this season (D4, L9), conceding an average of two goals per game.