Night of no return, second act. This time it's Atalanta who are playing it all, given that against Villarreal (at 21 pm) all you need to do is win or say goodbye to the Champions League. There Juventus instead, just like Inter last night, only first place is at stake, with the difference, however, that they no longer have a direct confrontation available, but a match with the Malmoe (18.45) which could also be of no use. To complete the comeback against Chelsea, after the bad performance at Stamford Bridge, it will not be enough to beat the Swedes, but it will also be necessary the Blues fail to win with Zenit: quite unlikely scenario, given that the Russians, in addition to being clearly weaker than the English, are already mathematically certain of the Europa League.
But Juve, these days, cannot afford the luxury of playing demotivated, indeed the match against Malmoe, after those against Salernitana and Genoa, becomes the third affordable test to look for play and mentality, even before points. It went quite well in the championship, but now comes the simplest match of all and it is reasonable to expect a round and convincing victory, which will act as a driving force for the much more insidious away match in Venice on Saturday.
“The important thing is to approach the match well, to have fun, play it and win – he confirmed Allegri – We are late in the championship and the four in front are traveling very fast, but we must continue to win, step by step, then we'll see. Winning is important, because when it happens you are more satisfied and work with greater serenity. Furthermore, we need to create the conditions to do better than in the last 2 years in the Champions League, it is essential to arrive in February in condition, another tournament begins there. On Monday we will see who will touch us, it also depends on how tonight ends…”.
It is evident, however, that there are few hopes of first place, which will induce the Juventus coach to rotate various men and give space to those who, for one reason or another, have played less. The absence of Kulusevski (operated yesterday for sinusitis) greatly reduces the battery of wingers, already without Chiesa and Danilo, which is why Allegri will set aside the 4-2-3-1 of the last few matches by virtue of a 4-4-2 with Perin in goal, Cuadrado, Bonucci, Rugani and Alex Sandro in defense, Rabiot, Arthur, Bentancur and Bernardeschi in midfield, Dybala and Kean in attack. Tomasson, an old acquaintance of Ancelotti's Milan, will try to make a good impression with a mirror game system, which will see Diawara between the posts, Beijmo, Ahmedodzic, Brorsson and Olsson in the back, Gwargis, Rakip, Innocent and Rieks in the midfield, Colak and Birmancevic offensive duo.
The match from inside or outside, however, is played in Bergamo, where Atalanta goes in search of qualification for the round of XNUMX. It would be the third in a row in as many participations, an extraordinary achievement which however presupposes a victory against the insidious Villarreal, benefiting from the extra point in the standings, which allows them to go through even with a draw.
“It's a decisive match, with only one result to obtain – he underlined Gasperini – The possibility of qualifying for the third consecutive year in the round of XNUMX is good fuel, we are going through an excellent moment, but we must also have the strength to erase the victories and not just the defeats. I don't trust Villarreal, the Champions League is another competition than the league, if we want to make it we'll need a great performance."
“Atalanta are a mature team, with a consolidated system and technique, a very demanding coach and great offensive ability – the thought of Emery – She also needs to win, which makes me think she will play aggressively and explosively, but we certainly won't play for a draw."
In short, the Spaniards have no intention of giving themselves up to the Goddess, also because, if they did, they would need a rather greedy assist to go to the round of XNUMX. Gasperini knows it very well, that's why he will rely on best possible 3-4-2-1 with Musso in goal, Toloi, Demiral and Palomino in defence, Zappacosta, De Roon, Freuler and Maehle in midfield, Pasalic and Malinovskyi behind the lone striker Zapata. 4-4-2 instead for Emery, who will respond with Rulli between the posts, Foyth, Albiol, Pau Torres and Pedraza in the back, Parejo, Capoue, Gomez and Manu Trigueros in the midfield, Dia and Pino in attack.
