Battling for their Serie A survival, Hellas Verona visit European challengers Atalanta BC on Saturday evening, when the teams convene in Bergamo.
After defeat to Torino last week, Hellas were left level on points with 17th-placed Spezia heading into their final three fixtures; meanwhile, La Dea lost a second successive game to slip down to seventh.
Match preview
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Conceding a stoppage-time goal in Salerno last time out saw Atalanta lose successive matches without scoring, and their hopes of squeezing into the Champions League places seem to have taken a fatal blow as a result.
Six days after being beaten at home by Juventus, the Bergamaschi came up short against Salernitana in a 1-0 defeat, which leaves them looking likely to settle for a spot in either the Europa League or the third-tier Conference League.
Still holding a six-point buffer to eighth-placed Monza with three Serie A rounds remaining and one game in hand, Atalanta remain on course for continental qualification, but they will still want to finish an inconsistent season in style.
Set to meet two Lombardy rivals in the final two weeks - first Champions League finalists Inter, then up-and-coming Monza - Gian Piero Gasperini's side are now pitched against a team fighting to preserve their top-flight status.
Since Gasperini joined the club in 2016, Atalanta have won six of their nine league matches against Verona, but adding further to that positive trend on Saturday may not come easily, as the home side often struggle to fulfil their potential at the Gewiss Stadium.
While La Dea's away record is bettered only by runaway champions Napoli this season, playing host has proved a very different matter.
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Not only is Atalanta's home record only the 11th-best in Italy's top tier, but Verona have also won on both of their last two league visits to Bergamo ahead of this week's crucial contest - as many wins as in their previous 20.
A vital 1-0 victory in Lecce on their most recent road trip was the Gialloblu's first away win this season - coming at the 17th attempt - but defeat to Torino last Sunday again leaves them in distinct danger of demotion.
For only the second time, Verona have now lost at least 10 home fixtures in a Serie A season, and that setback at the hands of former coach Ivan Juric coupled with Spezia's win over Milan means a superior head-to-head record would keep Spezia up if both teams pick up the same number of points from their last three games.
Having languished in the bottom three for almost the whole season, though, Marco Zaffaroni's men will not be phased - and they may still fancy their chances of pulling off a miraculous escape.
Hellas have already recovered from having just five points on the board at the winter break to haul themselves back into contention for a fifth straight top-flight campaign, and Zaffaroni could yet make himself an unlikely hero in Verona.
Team News
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As Gian Piero Gasperini attempts to halt Atalanta's latest downturn, the veteran coach faces a significant injury list approaching Saturday's game.
While Berat Djimsiti hopes to recover after being forced off at Stadio Arechi last week, Ademola Lookman, Brandon Soppy and Matteo Ruggeri are set to join long-term absentees Hans Hateboer and Jose Luis Palomino on the sidelines.
Duvan Zapata also withdrew from training in midweek and may now miss the rest of the season. In his absence, Rasmus Hojlund and Luis Muriel will vie to start up front; Joakim Maehle's return from suspension should see him replace Soppy at wing-back.
Verona, meanwhile, are also hampered by several injuries, as Ondrej Duda (knee) and Pawel Dawidowicz (thigh) are now set to miss the rest of the season.
Josh Doig also sits out the trip to Lombardy, but Kevin Lasagna could be back on the bench following a layoff.
With Dawidowicz unavailable, either Diego Coppola or Federico Ceccherini is likely to deputise in the visitors' back three.
Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:
Sportiello; Toloi, Demiral, Scalvini; Zappacosta, De Roon, Koopmeiners, Maehle; Ederson, Pasalic; Hojlund
Hellas Verona possible starting lineup:
Montipo; Magnani, Hien, Ceccherini; Faraoni, Abildgaard, Tameze, Depaoli; Lazovic, Ngonge; Djuric
We say: Atalanta BC 1-0 Hellas Verona
Neither side is full of confidence in the final third, and Atalanta's home record leaves a lot to be desired, so it could be just a single goal which separates the sides in Bergamo.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
