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

Aiming to get back on track after their first Serie A defeat this year, Atalanta BC will welcome Udinese to Bergamo on Saturday evening.

La Dea's loss to Sassuolo dented hopes of reaching next season's Champions League, but the Bergamaschi are still fighting on three fronts.

Match preview

Soon after sweeping past Juventus into the Coppa Italia semi-finals and beating Scudetto holders Napoli in Serie A, Atalanta dumped Borussia Dortmund out of the Champions League to finish February on a high.

However, Raffaele Palladino's side started a new month by losing 2-1 to 10-man Sassuolo, which ended their undefeated domestic record in 2026.

There was little time to reflect, as La Dea then travelled to Rome for the first leg of a crucial cup tie against Lazio, with the winner set to meet either Inter Milan or Como in this year's Coppa Italia final.

Atalanta pushed hard for an opener at Stadio Olimpico, having a goal ruled out for offside before clipping the crossbar, yet they fell behind straight after the restart.

Mario Pasalic soon struck back - continuing a mid-season purple patch with his third goal in four games - but his error then allowed Lazio to re-take the lead.

With time running out, Yunus Musah drilled home a late leveller, so the Nerazzurri should start favourites for next month's return leg back on home turf.

They will stay in Bergamo this weekend, with their hopes of a place in Italy's final top four on the line.

Last week's loss left Palladino and co six points shy of the Champions League places, so they cannot afford to slip up again on Saturday.

Ahead of their latest visit, Udinese have lost six of their last eight away games against Atalanta, only claiming two points and being outscored 19-5.

Yet, a 1-0 home victory in November's reverse fixture means they can seek back-to-back league wins over La Dea for the first time in 20 years.

The Bianconeri were most recently in action on Monday evening, putting three goals past relegation-threatened Fiorentina without reply, aided by the return of top scorer Keinan Davis.

The striker's penalty was sandwiched by finishes from Christian Kabasele and Adam Buksa, as the hosts halted a worrying decline.

Previously, they had suffered three consecutive defeats, which threatened to derail an otherwise positive campaign.

Now back inside the top 10, Udinese are on track to achieve their aim of mid-table safety, with Kosta Runjaic steering them well clear of danger for a second straight season.

Atalanta BC Serie A form:

W D W W W L

Atalanta BC form (all competitions):

W L W W L D

Udinese Serie A form:

W W L L L W

Team News

Though Atalanta's only confirmed absentee is Charles De Ketelaere, several other players may sit out Saturday's game amid a hectic schedule.

Having missed the last four matches with a muscular issue, Ederson remains a doubt, while Giacomo Raspadori has just resumed training and Giorgio Scalvini sustained a knock on Wednesday.

Should Ederson stay sidelined, in-form midfielder Pasalic could cover again, having previously scored four goals against Udinese in Serie A - including three on home turf.

Set to do battle with Gianluca Scamacca for one place up front, Nikola Krstovic has posted six goal top-flight involvements this calendar year.

Meanwhile, Udinese now have Davis back in the fold; he has been directly involved in 11 Serie A goals this season, up from just three throughout the whole of last term.

Once again, the English frontman should partner ex-Atalanta man Nicolo Zaniolo in the Bianconeri's attack.

Defensive duo Oumar Solet and Nicolo Bertola - plus long-term absentee Alessandro Zanoli - are ruled out, and the visitors also have doubts about Arthur Atta, who is still struggling with a muscle strain.

Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:

Carnesecchi; Koussonou, Djimsiti, Kolasinac; Zappacosta, De Roon, Pasalic, Bernasconi; Samardzic, Zalewski; Scamacca

Udinese possible starting lineup:

Okoye; Kristensen, Kabasele, Mlacic; Ehizibue, Ekkelenkamp, Karlstrom, Piotrowski, Zemura; Zaniolo, Davis