The 22nd matchday in the Italian Serie A brings us the top match Atalanta vs. Inter Milan. In a Lombardy duel, the fourth-placed team receives the leader, with the teams collecting 41 and 49 points respectively. Moreover, they are in excellent form.
The Dea celebrated their seventh win in nine championship games at Udinese on Sunday. Thereafter, Gian Piero Gasperini’s team beat Venezia in the Coppa Italia on 12 January. They faced the fourth last-place team in Serie A.
The visitors, with Simone Inzaghi on the sidelines, triumphed against fifth-placed arch-rivals Juventus in front of their fans in the Italian Super Cup on Wednesday. Before that, on Sunday and at home against eighth-placed Lazio, they achieved their eighth league win in a row. Davide Massa will direct the match at Bergamo’s Gewiss Stadium.
By the way: It is worth reading our betting bonus test carefully.
What speaks for Atalanta?
- Plays in front of a home crowd
- Has less pressure than Inter Milan
- Gasperini spared many regular players in the cup
What speaks for Inter Milan?
- Won all their last eight league games so far
- The euphoria after the triumph in the Italian Super Cup
- Inzaghi can draw owing to his full squad
Our betting tip:
- Tip: Both teams score a goal & Over 2.5 goals
- Bookmaker: Betway
- Odds: 1.83
Expert analysis Atalanta
Atalanta have finished in the top fifth of the table in four of the last five Serie A seasons. Moreover, the team from Bergamo reached third place for the third time in a row in the 2020/2021 season. Nevertheless, the Orobici remain modest year after year. And that is probably one of the secrets of their success.
Gasperini’s team celebrated a 6-2 away win against 14th-placed Udinese on 9 January. And this game caused heated discussions. Because: a large COVID-19 cluster broke out at the opponent from Friuli. Some players, who had been in quarantine until immediately before, had to be on the pitch.
However, that should not diminish Atalanta’s record. After all, the Dea won seven of their last nine league matches so far. The exceptions came with a 1-4 home defeat to sixth-placed AS Roma and a 0-0 at penultimate-placed Genoa. Before the loss to the capital club, the previous month began with away victories. While that, the Orobici defeated third Napoli (3-2) and 13th Hellas Verona (2-1).
On 12 January, Atalanta followed up with a 2-0 home win over Serie A fourth-placed Venezia in the Coppa Italia round of 16. However, Gasperini changed the starting eleven in many positions. Therefore, this match should not be seen as a yardstick in two respects.
The 63-year-old will be without five players for the clash between Atalanta and Inter Milan. More precisely, Robin Gosens, Duván Zapata, Davide Zappacosta, Marco Sportiello and Rafael Tolói are out. In contrast, Remo Freuler returns after a suspension.
Expert analysis Inter Milan
The mood at Inter Milan could not be better. For the leaders, the top match in Bergamo comes four days after their triumph in the Italian Super Cup. Alexis Sánchez scored in the last minute of extra time in front of his home crowd for a 2-1 against arch-rivals Juventus.
Before that, on 9 January, they had won their eighth championship match in a row with a 2-1 home victory over eighth-placed Lazio Rome. It was the first time Simone Inzaghi’s side, who was facing his former team, conceded a goal in the league since the end of November. After a 3-2 win at home to Napoli, the leaders had played six times in a row to nil.
However, these games should not be taken as a yardstick. After all, Inter Milan mostly played against rivals placed in the second half of the table. This was the case, for example, in a home match against third-last Cagliari (4-0) and in a 5-0 win at last-placed Salernitana. This was followed just before Christmas by a 1-0 home win against ninth-placed Torino FC, who are clearly more defensive-minded than Atalanta.
In addition, Inzaghi has almost the entire squad available for the away fixture at Atalanta. Hakan Çalhanoğlu returns to the starting line-up after overcoming a ban. And only the suspended Arturo Vidal is absent.
Head-to-head comparison Atalanta – Inter Milan
The first Serie A clash of the 2021/2022 season between Atalanta and Inter Milan took place on 25 September and ended in a 2-2 draw. In the previous season, the Bergamo side experienced against their regional rivals a 1-1 home draw and a 0-1 away defeat.
Our betting tip and the best odds
Due to the form curves of the two opponents in the Atalanta vs. Inter Milan clash, we recommend not wagering on a 1, 2 or X. Instead, we recommend football bets on the fact that both teams will score more than 2.5 goals in total. Theoretically, you can opt for just one of the two events, but the odds would have less value.
The visitors had not conceded a goal in six league games before their 2-1 home win against Lazio Rome, but that was also due to opponents like Cagliari and Salernitana. And the home side do not exclusively score many goals, but they concede an above-average number for a top team.
Atalanta vs. Inter Milan – betting tip: Both teams score goals & Over 2.5 goals, odds 1.83 at bookmaker Betway.