Atalanta vs Napoli Serie A Match Preview

Atalanta vs Napoli Serie A Match Preview

Atalanta have won four of their last six Serie A meetings with Napoli (D1 L1), including their last two; only between 1997 and 1998 have they won three such games in a row (three 1-0 wins).

After failing to score in three consecutive Serie A matches against Napoli between 2009 and 2010, Atalanta have found the net in 19 of their last 21 such meetings against them – among the sides they’ve faced 10+ times in this period (since 2011/12), against no other team have Napoli kept fewer clean sheets than against Atalanta (2/21).

Napoli and Atalanta have not drawn in their last six Serie A meetings played at the Gewiss Stadium: three wins apiece, with the last two won by the Nerazzurri.

After winning six Serie A matches in a row between November and December, Atalanta have won only three of their last 12 such matches (D5 L4); in this period, since December 18th, they have scored 1.2 goals per game on average, whilst they had scored 2.2 per game in the first part of the season.

Napoli have earned 34 points in 15 Serie A away matches so far, only in the 2017/18 campaign have they had as many at this stage of the competition (39 back then); indeed, they have lost only one such match this season (W10 D4), on November 21, against Inter (2-3).

Napoli (21) and Atalanta (17) are two of the top three sides to have attempted the most shots in 2022 following a high turnover (AC Milan, 18).

Atalanta have found the net with 18 different players in Serie A this season, more than any other side and a record for the club in a single top-flight campaign; the last side to have had more was Sassuolo, 19 in 2018/19.

Atalanta’s striker Luis Muriel has scored just four league goals this season, he last scored as few as four in a Serie A campaign in 2014/15 (for Sampdoria and Udinese) – he has scored three Serie A goals against Napoli, including his very first goal, on December 3, 2011, for Lecce.

Napoli have won 70% of their Serie A games this season with Victor Osimhen (14/20), whilst their winning percentage drops to 50% without him (5/10); also, the points per game ratio drops without the Nigerian (2.3 v 1.7) – Amir Rrahmani will miss this game too; however, Napoli have won each of their three league matches without him so far.

Napoli’s striker Dries Mertens has been involved in six goals (four goals, two assists) in his last seven Serie A starts against Atalanta, whilst he failed to score or assist a single goal in his first four against them.