The Cult of Calcio
·16 Maret 2025
Serie A Preview: Atalanta vs Inter – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction

The Cult of Calcio
·16 Maret 2025
Gewiss Stadium forms the backdrop for Serie A’s title six-pointer between fierce Scudetto rivals Atalanta and Inter. With three points separating the sides ahead of the kick-off, this fixture has all the makings of a title decider.
Atalanta missed a glorious opportunity to draw level on points with Inter in their last home league outing. Indeed, relegation-threatened Venezia held Gian Piero Gasperini’s side to a stomach-wrenching 0-0 draw in Bergamo, leading many to believe La Dea would enter this contest outside Scudetto conversations.
However, Atalanta silenced their distractors last weekend with an incredible 4-0 victory against Juventus at the Allianz Stadium. Back to their scintillating best, La Dea inflicted Juventus’ heaviest home loss in Serie A since 1967 to regain a foothold in the title race ahead of this season-defining clash against the reigning champions.
On the other hand, Inter performed a sensational comeback last weekend, overhauling a two-goal deficit to beat Serie A basement boys Monza 3-2 at the San Siro. In doing so, Simone Inzaghi’s charges retained a narrow one-point lead on second-placed Napoli ahead of this round.
Optimism skyrocketed during midweek as Inter claimed a 2-1 home win against Feyenoord to seal a place in the Champions League quarter-finals. Goals from Hakan Calhanoglu and Marcus Thuram inspired the Nerazzurri to a 4-1 aggregate win, helping them set up a mouth-watering last-eight tie against runaway Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich.
Atalanta
Despite a remarkable performance in Turin, Atalanta cannot afford to rest on their laurels. Notoriously inconsistent, Gasperini’s men have only won four of their last 11 league matches (D6, L1), casting significant doubt on their hopes of bringing home a historic first Scudetto.
However, they’re still within striking distance, largely thanks to their impressive defensive improvement. On a run of five consecutive clean sheets in Serie A, Atalanta could register only the second set of six straight shutouts in their top-flight history.
That could be easier said than done against upcoming rivals Inter. In addition to a disastrous 4-0 defeat in September’s reverse fixture at the San Siro, Atalanta slipped to a 2-0 loss in January’s Supercoppa Italiana clash against the Nerazzurri.
As if that’s not troubling enough, Atalanta will be out to scoop up only their first Serie A win in Bergamo this calendar year. Gasperini’s lads have drawn four of their five home league games in 2025 (L1), suggesting there’s a good chance they could slump to a 15th successive winless H2H against Inter (D5, L9).
Inter
Inter’s last loss to Atalanta dates back to November 2018. Furthermore, they’ve beaten La Dea in seven consecutive meetings across all competitions, including a 2-1 win in this corresponding fixture last season, which saw them avoid defeat on a fifth straight visit to the Gewiss Stadium (W3, D2).
On the brink of winning six Serie A games against Atalanta on the trot for the first time since 2001, Inter will enter the field in a buoyant mood amid a six-game unbeaten streak in all competitions (W5, D1). However, the Nerazzurri would be naive to let this purple patch tuck them into a false sense of security.
Indeed, Inzaghi’s men have won none of their last four league outings outside the San Siro (D2, L2). Despite boasting the division’s joint-best scoring record (63), Inter only netted twice in that dismal sequence. As a result, they stare down the barrel of a five-game winless top-flight run on the road for the first time since February 2018.
As if injuries to long-term absentees Gianluca Scamacca, Odilon Kossounou, and Giorgio Scalvini weren’t demoralizing enough, Atalanta will be without ex-Inter winger Juan Cuadrado and winter arrival Stefan Posch. All eyes will be on Serie A’s leading goalscorer, Mateo Retegui, who’s seeking his 23rd league goal this season.
Meanwhile, Inter headed to Bergamo without Federico Dimarco, Matteo Darmian, Nicola Zalewski, Stefan de Vrij, and Piotr Zielinski. Carlos Augusto will take Dimarco’s place on the left wing, while Benjamin Pavard should replace De Vrij in the back three.
Atalanta (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Bellanova, De Roon, Ederson, Zappacosta; De Ketelaere, Lookman; Retegui.
Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Augusto; Martinez, Thuram.
It’s nearly impossible to predict Atalanta’s mood on a given day. However, they’re perfectly capable of beating any team on a good day. With Inter crippled by injuries, this could be a perfect chance for Atalanta to end their woeful run in this fixture.