Juventus need to steady themselves at home after taking only one point from their last two league games. Atalanta arrive with the same problem in a different form, because they have taken zero points from their last two Serie A matches and both sides are already looking for a reset rather than a statement win. Juventus did at least find some lift in midweek with a convincing victory over NEC in their Europa League opener.

Juventus' league wobble

The league run is the concern. Juventus started with two wins from two, then collected just one point from the next two games, which is a poor return for a side with title-level expectations. That leaves Juventus under pressure before a fixture that can easily drag a season into an early chase mode if they are not careful.

Maurizio Sarri said his team will head north on the back of consecutive defeats, having lost 2-1 to Roma and Cagliari. That leaves Atalanta in the same awkward place as Juventus, short on rhythm and needing something cleaner than another flat performance.

Juventus' selection problems

Luciano Spalletti does not have a full deck to work with. Kenan Yildiz, Manuel Locatelli and Khephren Thuram are among the absentees Juventus are currently missing most, which narrows the options before kickoff. Randal Kolo Muani could lead the line, but he has only four Serie A appearances this season, so the case for him is based on what he can offer rather than any proven league output so far.

Lloyd Kelly could return after serving a European suspension in midweek, and Spalletti could also revert to a back three for this fixture. That would at least give Juventus a bit more structure if they want to keep the game under control rather than let it turn into a loose end-to-end contest.

At the Allianz Stadium, the trend that should make Juventus a little uneasy is Atalanta's recent record there. Atalanta are unbeaten in their last eight visits to the stadium, and they had once lost eight consecutive matches there before that run changed. Juventus vs Atalanta now comes with a home advantage that is less automatic than it looks on paper.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →