Atalanta will travel to Empoli this weekend in what is a crucial bout for both sides attempting to climb further up the table in a so-far troubling start the the campaign in Serie A for each of them.
The away side started off exceptionally bad from their usual standards, as they won just two of their first four games each by a low-scoring margin, and considering nobody in Italy has come close to their goalscoring record in recent times, it was slightly concerning.
Nevertheless, ever since losing to Fiorentina 2-1 back in early September, Atalanta have found a little bit more form and began to edge away ever so slowly on the top four.
As of now, the club sit in eighth and are currently just watching the likes of Inter Milan, AC Milan and Napoli all battle it out for the Serie A crown, but they can get back in there with a few wins on the bounce.
What will give Atalanta further hope as well is the fact Juventus are level on points with them and simply ahead of them by merely goal difference in the table. So, should La Dea win here, they can begin to build towards the top end again.
However, they have slipped back into the losing form that has kept them in mid-table, as they lost 3-2 to the ever-impressive AC Milan, not long after they drew with Inter and beat Young Boys in the Champions League.
As for Empoli, they have started off relatively well in their own right to this new campaign, especially considering this is their return to Serie A after a campaign in Serie B.
They have lost four of their seven games so far, but with three wins and no draws, their nine points to this point is certainly commendable for a newly-promoted side.
In fact, with a win here, they can even get past Atalanta and maybe even Juventus, should they lose to Roma this Sunday. Empoli have also only lost one game in their past four fixtures, as they beat Cagliari 1-0, Bologna 4-2 and Ternana 2-1.
Regardless of their decent form, the attacking force of Atalanta should be too much and we’re backing them to win here with over 2.5 goals and move closer towards the title race.