Empoli Vs. Atalanta BC Prediction: La Dea Rise Mission After Failure In Europe

JAKARTA Atalanta BC must rise immediately after their failure in European competitions and focus on securing the top four positions in Serie A when they travel to Empoli's headquarters on Sunday 23 February. Meanwhile, the hosts are in a negative trend and are on the brink of relegation after a series of poor results.

Atalanta came to this match with a fresh wound after being knocked out of the Champions League in the playoffs. The club nicknamed La Dea lost 5-2 on aggregate to Club Brugge after poor in the second leg. Starting the game quickly in the first three minutes, Atalanta got worse when they conceded two extra goals before halftime.

Although Ademola Lookman had a chance to reduce the gap at the start of the second half, he failed to execute a penalty that could liven up the team's hopes. On the other hand, Rafael Toloi got a red card in a moment that exacerbated the situation for Atalanta.

Gian Piero Gasperini's coach could not hide his disappointment and even criticized Lookman, who was previously their hero in last year's Europa League final. This defeat complements the less impressive start of the year for Atalanta, who also failed in Supercoppa Italiana and Coppa Italia.

However, in Serie A, Atalanta are still trying to maintain their position in the Champions League zone. With 10 away games without defeat in the domestic league, they are determined to make this match a momentum revival. Currently, they are in third place, behind Inter Milan and Napoli, but are also being chased by teams below him who are eyeing a place in European competition next season.

Meanwhile, Empoli is even more immersed at the bottom. The club from Tuscany has only picked up two points since the turn of the year and has conceded 17 goals in that period the worst between all Serie A teams so far.

Finally, they had to give up 3-0 from Udinese in a match that showed how bad their defense was. Three consecutive defeats in February, with aggregate conceded 9-1, bringing them closer to the relegation zone.

This condition was exacerbated by their poor record against Atalanta. Empoli has always lost in the last five meetings against La Dea, including a 3-2 defeat in the first meeting of the season. At Stadio Casttani, they also did not move, only won once in the last six meetings against Atalanta.

Despite having the chance to bounce back in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals next week against Juventus, their main focus right now is to find points to stay in Serie A.

Empoli had to face Atalanta with an injury-resolved squad. Saba Sazonov and Tyronne Ebuehi are confirmed to be absent long on the defense, while Mattia Viti and Ardian Ismajli are doubtful. Luca Marianucci is still serving a ban on playing, so options in the back are increasingly limited.

In midfield, Nicolas Haas, Tino Anjorin, and Jacopo Fazzini have not been able to return to full condition, while Ola Solbakken and Pietro Pellegri are also still recovering.

Empoli coach, Roberto D'Aversa, is likely to return to field Sebastiano ESPoito who was previously backed up, considering he only needed one more goal to hit double-digit in Serie A this season. In addition, Devis Vasquez has the chance to return to guard the goal to replace Marco Silvestri.

Atalanta also experienced several obstacles in the defense. Gianluca Scamacca, Odilon Kossounou, and Giorgio Scalvini are still injured, while Isak Hien is doubtful about appearing. Daniel Maldini is also not in optimal condition.

However, Ademola Lookman's re-arrival gave La Dea a big boost. Statistics show that with Lookman on the pitch, Atalanta won 68% of their league games this season, with an average scoring 2.3 goals per game. Without him, their winning rate dropped drastically to 33% with an average of only 1.8 goals.

Apart from Lookman, Mateo Retegui is also the main focus of Atalanta in terms of scoring goals. Striker who led Serie A's top score list this season with 12 goals (with Robert Lewandowski) has scored six goals in his last two away games, including four goals against Hellas Verona.

Gasperini will most likely stick to the back three formations, with aggressive wing-back options within Davide Zappacosta and banyak Bellanova.

Although Atalanta has just experienced disappointment in the Champions League, they remain the favorites of this match. Empoli is in a performance crisis and has lost many key players, while Atalanta still has sharp offensive power, especially with Lookman's return and Retegui's sharpness on the front lines.

With statistics showing Atalanta's superiority in the duel against Empoli, the most likely result was the visitors' win.

Estimated Lineup Of Players

Empoli (3-5-2):Vasquez; De Sciglio, Goglichidze, Pezzella; Gyasi, Henderson, Grassi, Maleh, Cace; ESPosito, Colombo

Atalanta BC (3-4-1-2):Carnesecki; Posch, Djimsiti, Kolasinac; Bellanova, De Roon, Ederson, Zappacosta; Samardzic; De Ketelaere, Retegui

Final score prediction: Empoli 0-2 Atalanta B