Roma take on Atalanta in one of the games of the weekend in Italy, with the both sides looking to make up for disappointing results in their final matches of 2017. A win for the hosts could potentially see them move up to third in the Serie A standings, however Atalanta are set to provide a stern test for Eusebio Di Francesco’s men.
Italian Serie A – Stadio Olimpico, Rome – Saturday 6th January – 17:00 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 13/5 at William Hill |
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AS Roma
AtalantaAS Roma vs Atalanta Match Preview
Roma host Atalanta in Serie A on Saturday evening at the Stadio Olimpico, with Eusebio Di Francesco and his players under pressure to return to winning ways following two matches within victory. Despite struggling for consistency themselves, Atalanta head to Rome confident of registering a positive result, with manager Gian Piero Gasperini looking to his experienced players to make lift difficult for their opponents. For those still unsure of who to back ahead of kick off this weekend with the bookmakers, be sure to check out our top betting tip below. However, let’s first take a closer look at the two teams, starting with Roma.
AS Roma Team News & Form
Roma come into this match off the back of a disappointing 1-1 draw with Sassuolo, as well as a 1-0 away defeat against rivals Juventus, results that leave them third in the standings, nine points behind Serie A leader Napoli. Striker Edin Dzeko has eight Serie A goals to his name so far this season, while the likes of Diego Perotti, Gerson and Kevin Strootman are all expected to line up in what is Roma’s first outing of 2018. Despite having the meanest defence in the Italian top-flight, Roma will be looking to perform better in attack against Atalanta, with the hosts having scored just 29 goals so far this season.
Atalanta Team News & Form
Atalanta suffered a surprise home defeat against Cagliari last time around, ending a run of four matches unbeaten in the Italian top-flight. Atalanta have scored the same amount of goals from their 19 league outings this season, however their 25 goals conceded demonstrates where their main struggles have been. Slovenian midfielder Josip Iličić has seven league goals to his name, while Alejandro Gomez is always a threat in the final third for Gasperini’s men.
Head to Head
The two teams have met 24 times in the past, with Roma having won 15 of such meetings, as well as registering four draws. Atalanta earned a 1-1 draw at the Stadio Olimpico last season, before being narrowly defeated in front of their home fans.
Betting Odds and Predictions
Given their standing in the table and their status as the home team, it comes as little surprise that it is Roma who are the favourites for victory with the majority of online bookmakers. Roma can be backed at best odds of 7/10 with Paddy Power, while Atalanta are the clear outsiders at 7/2 with the same bookmaker.
Top Betting Tip
However, our top betting tip for the match is to bet on there being under 2.5 goals during the 90 minutes, which is available at odds of 11/10 with William Hill.