Preview: Atalanta BC vs Juventus - prediction, team news, lineups

Clashing in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals, Atalanta BC and Juventus will meet in Bergamo on Thursday evening.

After Juve beat La Dea to lift the trophy for a 15th time in 2024, this time they are vying for a semi-final tie against either Lazio or holders Bologna.

Match preview

For all their recent success - most notably winning the Europa League - Atalanta's sole national cup triumph dates all the way back to 1963.

Pipped to the prize by Juventus two years ago, the Bergamaschi kicked off this season's campaign with an emphatic 4-0 defeat of Genoa in the last 16 - one of several positive results since Raffaele Palladino took charge.

A tally of 23 points from 12 league matches has seen Atalanta rise up the rankings, and they kept their seventh clean sheet of his reign with a backs-to-the-wall showing on Sunday.

Visiting fellow top-six contenders Como, Palladino's side played almost the whole game with 10 men after Honest Ahanor's early dismissal, and only a long series of saves from Marco Carnesecchi saw them cling on for a goalless draw.

Sitting seventh in Serie A, La Dea's only big setback since the start of the year was losing their last two league-phase fixtures in the Champions League and dropping into the playoffs.

Before facing Borussia Dortmund over two legs in Europe's top competition, the Nerazzurri must first play two league games, preceded by a tough cup tie.

Atalanta may have won seven of nine home matches under ex-Juventus winger Palladino, who now welcomes his former club to Bergamo, but Juve have been busy with their own revival.

Much has changed since the sides played out a 1-1 league draw in September, with both clubs changing their head coach to great effect.

One of Luciano Spalletti's first wins as Bianconeri boss came in the previous round of the Coppa Italia, where Juve beat Udinese 2-0 in Turin.

Following that success in early December, they have grown in confidence and forged a clear identity, while lifting themselves into Italy's top four.

Also safely through to the Champions League's knockout phase, Juventus have lost just twice across all competitions under Spalletti - posting a particularly good set of results over the past fortnight.

After beating Benfica and Serie A champions Napoli in quick succession, they followed a midweek draw with Monaco by putting four goals past Parma on Sunday, as defensive rock Bremer bagged a brace.

However, Juve's February schedule only gets tougher from there: after tackling Atalanta, they will face Lazio and Como either side of the Derby d'Italia, while squeezing in both legs of their Champions League playoff against Galatasaray.

Atalanta BC Coppa Italia form:

Atalanta BC form (all competitions):

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Juventus Coppa Italia form:

Juventus form (all competitions):

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Team News

After a draining game in Como - where they somehow survived an 80-minute siege and 25 shots - Atalanta are likely to make changes, and it remains to be seen if 17-year-old centre-back Ahanor is quickly forgiven for such a costly red card.

Having been branded an 'alien' by the Italian media for his shot-stopping heroics o Sunday, goalkeeper Carnesecchi has still conceded just one league goal in 2026.

Gianluca Scamacca was withdrawn after La Dea went down to 10 men, but he can now vie with Nikola Krstovic to start up front; recent arrival Giacomo Raspadori has effectively replaced Atletico Madrid-bound Ademola Lookman and will also hope to feature in the final third.

Only long-term absentee Mitchel Bakker will miss out for the hosts, while Juventus have concerns over main man Kenan Yildiz due to an adductor strain and are still without two strikers.

Dusan Vlahovic - who scored the winner against Atalanta in the 2024 final - remains on the sidelines, along with forgotten man Arkadiusz Milik.

Though Vlahovic has been absent for some time, Jonathan David now has four Serie A goals in 2026, and Weston McKennie has scored six across all competitions since Spalletti arrived in October.

Meanwhile, Bremer will pose a significant threat at set-pieces. Including his double strike against Parma, no central defender has scored more goals across Europe's top five leagues since 2019; fellow Brazilian Gabriel Magalhaes has also registered 21.

Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:

Carnesecchi; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Zappacosta, De Roon, Ederson, Zalewski; De Ketelaere, Raspadori; Scamacca

Juventus possible starting lineup:

Perin; Kalulu, Bremer, Gatti, Cabal; Locatelli, Koopmeiners; Zhegrova, McKennie, Miretti; David

We say: Atalanta BC 0-1 Juventus

While Juventus have won four of their last five away games in Serie A, Atalanta have become much tougher to beat on home turf. So, just as in the 2024 Coppa Italia final, a single strike could split these sides.

As Andrea Cambiaso's freak own-goal against Parma is one of just four goals conceded by Juve across their last dozen matches, the Old Lady can defeat La Dea.

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