Atalanta vs. Juventus: 3 key matchups to watch on Sunday

Juventus have a huge match coming up in Serie A. This Sunday, Juve will travel to Bergamo to take on fourth-place Atalanta, who are just one point behind the Bianconeri in the table. It’s a tight race for the Champions League positions behind Inter in first, with Napoli still only behind Juve by the three points that were earned by the Old Lady last Wednesday.

Atalanta are one of the most dangerous teams in Serie A, and Juve have failed to defeat them in their last two meetings. Juventini will hope they can get the full three points this time around, but it won’t be easy.

Let’s take a look at three individual battles that could decide Sunday’s big match. All choices will be based on Sky Sport Italia’s predicted lineups.

Juventus CBs vs. Atalanta ST Duvan Zapata

Giorgio Chiellini is still going strong despite his age, though the center back partnership of Matthijs de Ligt and Chiellini did show some cracks against transfer target Gianluca Scamacca in last Sunday’s win over Genoa.

Both Chiellini and de Ligt will have to be at their best on Matchday 31 against Duvan Zapata, who is one of the most well-rounded target men in Serie A. With 13 goals and 7 assists in the Serie A campaign, Zapata is capable of scoring and creating. He is integral to Atalanta’s attacking sequences and is nearly impossible to take off the ball when he is shielding.

Therefore, de Ligt and Chiellini must be prepared to both outmuscle and outsmart Zapata, who is so good at finding space and laying the ball off to teammates. This match will be another test for the talented de Ligt.

Juventus CM Rodrigo Bentancur vs. Atalanta CM Marten de Roon

Atalanta have a very underrated midfield, and the key man to watch from the Bianconeri’s perspective is Dutch international Marten de Roon. The 30-year-old is Atalanta’s leader with 2.3 tackles per game and also has 2.0 interceptions per game, according to WhoScored.com.

Since Atalanta are such an exciting attacking team to watch, de Roon’s importance to Gian Piero Gasperini’s tactical setup is often overlooked. But he is a great reader of the game and leader on the pitch. Most importantly, he is the best defensive presence in midfield and helps center back Cristian Romero a lot when it comes to recovering possession.

Rodrigo Bentancur’s ball security and ability to make progressive passes and control play could be called into question this Sunday by Gasperini and his midfielders, specifically the uncompromising de Roon. We’ll see if Bentancur can step up.

Juventus RM Juan Cuadrado vs. Atalanta LM Robin Gosens

We still have to see if Andrea Pirlo goes with Juan Cuadrado at right back or sticks with the Colombian higher up the pitch, while Gasperini can also be flexible with his tactical setup. But regardless of how high up the pitch Cuadrado and Robin Gosens are, we’ll almost certainly see them battle back and forth on the Juve right flank.

Gosens has been one of Atalanta’s top performers this season and is squarely on Juve’s transfer radar. The German international has 14 goal contributions this season and is an adept defender. Meanwhile, Cuadrado has been no slouch either with seven assists in Serie A and an additional six in the Champions League.

A crossing machine with world-class dribbling ability, Cuadrado is still underrated despite his many years of quality play. Meanwhile, Gosens is still a relative unknown to most fans outside Serie A. But for fans in the know, this head-to-head matchup will be appointment viewing.