Atalanta BC will be looking to make a winning start to their 2020-21 Serie A campaign when they travel to Turin to face Torino on Saturday afternoon.
Torino opened their league season with a 1-0 defeat at Fiorentina last weekend, but Atalanta were given an extra week of recovery time following their involvement in the latter stages of the Champions League.
Match preview
© Reuters
Gaetano Castrovilli scored the only goal of the match as Torino lost at Fiorentina last weekend, meaning that Marco Giampaolo's side are facing the possibility of back-to-back losses at the start of 2020-21.
The Turin outfit finished 16th in Serie A last season, which was actually their lowest final position since being relegated in 18th back in 2008-09.
Torino lost 20 of their 38 league games last term as they finished just five points clear of the relegation zone, and it could be another difficult season for the club despite them being active in this summer's transfer market.
Much could depend on whether La Granata are able to keep hold of star forward Andrea Belotti, who is thought to be a transfer target for Tottenham Hotspur in the latter stages of the window.
© Reuters
Atalanta, meanwhile, enjoyed an excellent 2019-20 campaign, claiming third position in La Liga, just five points behind the champions Juventus, which is a mark of their incredible improvement.
La Dea have now finished third in the last two seasons, but they also reached the quarter-finals of the 2019-20 Champions League before losing to eventual finalists Paris Saint-Germain.
Gian Piero Gasperini's side were comfortably the highest scorers in Serie A last term with 98 goals, while they lost fewer games (6) than the champions Juve (7).
Atalanta have not been in competitive action since losing to PSG in the Champions League, but the Black and Blues have won all four of their friendlies this summer and will be eyeing a strong start here.
Torino Serie A form: L
Atalanta BC pre-season form: WWWW
Team News
© Reuters
Torino will be without summer arrival Ricardo Rodriguez until the middle of October due to a hip problem, while Daniele Baselli could miss the whole season with a knee issue.
The home side do not have any fresh concerns from the clash with Fiorentina last weekend, though, meaning that Giampaolo could select the same starting XI.
Belotti and Simone Zaza will both feature in the final third, but Simone Verdi is pushing to replace Alex Berenguer in an attacking position for the Turin club.
As for Atalanta, Cristian Romero and Berat Djimsiti are both unavailable through suspension, while Josip Ilicic, Aleksei Miranchuk, Matteo Pessina and Pierluigi Gollini are on the sidelines for the visitors through injury.
Jose Luis Palomino and Duvan Zapata have both fully recovered from coronavirus and will be involved, while Mario Pasalic is likely to line up alongside Alejandro Gomez in the final third of the field.
Sam Lammers has arrived at the club from PSV Eindhoven this summer, but the 23-year-old forward is expected to start on the bench this weekend.
Torino possible starting lineup:
Sirigu; Izzo, Bremer, N'Koulou, Ansaldi; Meite, Rincon, Linetty; Berenguer; Zaza, Belotti
Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:
Sportiello; Toloi, Caldara, Palomino; Hateboer, De Roon, Freuler, Gosens; Zapata, Gomez, Pasalic
We say: Torino 0-2 Atalanta BC
Torino are certainly capable of making it a difficult afternoon for Atalanta, but the visitors are full of goals and should have more than enough to open their 2020-21 campaign with a relatively comfortable three points.
