Atalanta welcome Venezia to the New Balance Arena on Monday evening, with both teams desperate to turn around their disappointing starts to the Serie A season. The hosts have suffered three consecutive defeats and are struggling to find their usual attacking rhythm, while Venezia have lost all five of their opening league matches. Neither side arrives in particularly good form, but Atalanta will see this as an opportunity to return to winning ways against opponents who have struggled at both ends of the pitch.

Atalanta looking to end their losing streak

Atalanta have endured a frustrating opening to the campaign, with three consecutive defeats leaving them under pressure to improve their results. Their attacking performances have been particularly disappointing, producing just five goals in their opening five league matches. For a team normally associated with attacking football, that represents a significant concern.

The lack of goals has made it difficult for Atalanta to control matches. Even when they have enjoyed promising periods of possession, they have struggled to turn opportunities into goals. That has left little room for defensive mistakes, with opponents taking advantage when Atalanta have failed to convert their chances.

However, Monday’s fixture presents a considerably different challenge. Venezia have been among the weakest defensive teams in the division, and Atalanta should have opportunities to play with greater attacking freedom than they have enjoyed in recent matches.

Playing at home also gives Atalanta an opportunity to take control from the opening minutes. They will be expected to dominate possession, push Venezia into their own half and create enough chances to end their disappointing run.

Venezia struggling at both ends

Venezia have experienced an extremely difficult return to Serie A, losing all five of their opening league matches. Their defensive performances have been particularly concerning, with 13 goals conceded during that period. Allowing almost three goals per match makes collecting points extremely difficult, especially when the team is also struggling to create chances.

The visitors have frequently found themselves defending for extended periods, and their inability to deal with sustained attacking pressure has been a recurring problem. Against stronger opponents, Venezia have struggled to maintain their defensive organisation throughout the full 90 minutes.

Their approach against Atalanta is likely to be cautious. Venezia cannot afford to leave large spaces behind their defensive line, particularly against a home side that will be determined to rediscover its attacking confidence.

However, sitting deep brings its own problems. If Venezia spend most of the match defending around their penalty area, Atalanta should eventually create opportunities. The visitors will need to be considerably more disciplined than they have been during the opening weeks if they are to take anything from this fixture.

Atalanta have dominated recent meetings

Recent meetings between these sides provide another reason to favour Atalanta. The hosts have enjoyed considerable success against Venezia, winning four of their previous five encounters and remaining unbeaten throughout that period.

That record suggests Atalanta have generally been comfortable dealing with Venezia’s style of play. Although previous results do not guarantee another victory, the difference in quality between the teams has often been reflected on the pitch.

Interestingly, their head-to-head record does not necessarily point towards a particularly high-scoring match. Seven of their previous nine meetings have finished with fewer than three goals, suggesting that Atalanta have often been able to secure results without needing to produce an attacking spectacle.

That distinction is important when considering the betting markets. Atalanta may be the stronger team, but their recent attacking struggles make it difficult to confidently predict a comfortable victory with several goals.

A narrow home win could be just as realistic as a more convincing result, especially if Venezia focus almost entirely on defensive organisation.

Home advantage could make the difference

Despite their disappointing form, Atalanta enter this match with several advantages. They possess greater individual quality, have the benefit of playing at home and face opponents who have yet to collect a single point this season.

The key question is whether Atalanta can improve their finishing. Five goals in five league matches is not an impressive return, but Venezia’s defensive record suggests the hosts should receive opportunities to improve that statistic.

Venezia, meanwhile, need to show that they can remain competitive against stronger opposition. Their defensive weaknesses have repeatedly put them in difficult situations, and another early goal conceded could force them to abandon their cautious approach.

Atalanta do not necessarily need to produce their best attacking performance to win this match. If they remain patient, avoid unnecessary defensive mistakes and make the most of the chances that come their way, they should have enough quality to secure all three points.

Verdict

Neither team enters this fixture in convincing form, but there is a clear difference in the challenges they have faced. Atalanta have struggled to score and suffered three consecutive defeats, while Venezia have lost every league match and conceded goals at an alarming rate.

The visitors’ defensive record makes it difficult to trust them against an Atalanta side that will be determined to respond in front of its own supporters. Although a high-scoring victory is far from guaranteed, the hosts should be capable of creating enough opportunities to secure the result.

Atalanta’s stronger squad, home advantage and favourable record against Venezia make the home victory the preferred selection.

Tip

Atalanta to win