No matter what side of the ledger Gian Piero Gasperini is on, recent history between Roma and Atalanta hasn’t been kind to the Giallorossi. Even after making the switch last season, Gasperini, now with Roma, couldn’t reverse the hex he himself created. In two cracks at his former club last year, Gasperini came up empty-handed, managing only one draw from two spring fixtures, leaving the capital club winless in its last eight matches against Atalanta—in fact, Roma hasn’t only beaten their Bergamo
counterparts twice in their past 17 matches.
While Gasperini’s group has benefited from a rather soft opening to the fixture list, they’ve barely missed a step. Thanks to back-to-back blowouts over Fiorentina and Lecce, Roma enters this round three fixture with a 2-0 record and an unblemished +8 goal differential. We’ll soon find out how serious a challenger Maurizio Sarri’s Atalanta is, but they are undoubtedly Roma’s toughest test to date.
It’s far too early to start table watching, but any advantage Roma can gain over Como, AC Milan, and Napoli would benefit Gasperini and the Giallorossi.
Lineups
Roma
Atalanta
Engage with Chiesa di Totti’s match threads from your phone with the new SB Nation app. Commenting and interacting with your communities is easier than ever before with the Game Chat feature. The app is currently available in the U.S. on iOS and Android devices.
