Gian Piero Gasperini admits Atalanta did not expect to be in such a massive six-way battle for the Champions League places with Juventus. ‘The table is so tight that anything and everything could happen.’
It kicks off at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo at 11.30 UK time (10.30 GMT).
There have already been some big results in the race for the top four this weekend, as Milan and Inter beat Lazio and Roma respectively.
That means a win here would allow Atalanta to cram five teams together in a three-point radius.
“They are all decisive from now on, because the table is so tight with many teams involved that anything and everything could happen,” Gasperini told Sky Sport Italia.
“Juve are always a great team, regardless of positive or less positive moments. They have quality players and we need a very strong Atalanta performance.”
In the 3-3 draw these teams played in January, Atalanta started with a pure trident attack, whereas now it’s only Duvan Zapata supported by two creative midfielders.
“Right now Hojlund and Lookman are out of action, so we necessarily have to change. There are also periods in our season when we adapt in different ways, but we too have Muriel for example on the bench today and different options during the game.
“A coach would always love to have more choices going into a big match, but we still have the resources to put in a great performance.”
Max Allegri said that he believes the minimum target for a team qualifying for the Champions League is 73 points.
“Being in this position is something to be very proud of and it was difficult to think we’d be battling along with teams like Lazio, Juventus, Inter, Milan and Roma, also to be further away from the chasing pack than we thought we’d be at this stage. It’s going to be a fascinating end to the season with five finals.”