Atalanta need a clean answer to a bad spell when they face Kairat Almaty in the Atalanta vs Kairat Almaty on Thursday. They lost 3-0 to Parma on Monday, have three defeats in their last five matches and have conceded 14 goals across that winless run. In the Conference League, they sit 15th after two rounds with three points from two matches.
Atalanta's response test
The home side have not been close to the level they need in recent weeks. A sequence of LDDLW tells the story of a team that has not found control or consistency, and the Parma defeat added another blunt reminder of that.
M. Sarri has already forced the issue with a retreat in training after criticising his players' mentality, and the setup against Kairat will be watched closely. There is also a selection question around how much he changes, with one preview pointing to a first start for Idele and a rest for Ederson, while another suggests a different attacking structure.
Kairat's away record
Kairat Almaty come in with only one point from two Conference League matches, and they are 31st in the standings. They drew with Riga and lost 5-1 at home to Panathinaikos, so they are already under pressure to make this trip count.
Their away form in Europe is the bigger concern. Kairat have failed to win any of their last four European away matches across qualifying and Conference League action, which gives Atalanta a route back to a more controlled night if they start properly.
The expectation is still that Atalanta should have enough to respond, but the bigger question is whether they show that response with a performance that looks organised rather than frantic. The fixture at Bergamo kicks off on Thursday, 5 November.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
