Overview
After missing the opportunity to enter the Coppa Italia final after a dramatic penalty shootout, Atalanta did not have much time to rest before the away match against Cagliari, as the home team is still fighting for relegation in Serie A.
After a bitter defeat to Lazio, Raffaele Palladino's team started slowly in Sardinia and quickly lost 2 goals in just the first 10 minutes.
Although Gianluca Scamacca scored a double to help Atalanta equalize before halftime, the Bergamo team still suffered a 2-3 defeat, despite controlling the game and constantly putting pressure on Cagliari goalkeeper Elia Caprile.
This result caused Atalanta to only get 1 point in the last 3 rounds of Serie A, thereby shaking hopes of returning to the UEFA Europa League - the tournament they won 2 years ago.
Currently 7 points behind the top 6, La Dea is forced to win all 4 remaining matches, and at the same time wait for opponents like AS Roma or Como to stumble if they want to nurture hope.
In that context, Palladino can seek confidence from his favorable head-to-head record. Including his time leading Monza and Fiorentina, he has won all 5 Serie A matches against Genoa.
Not only that, Atalanta's most recent home defeat to Genoa took place a decade ago. Since then, they have won 5/8 times hosting this opponent in Bergamo with a total score of 17-5.
Although history does not support it, Genoa is showing a strong revival in the second half of the 2025-2026 season. If considering only the second half of the season, Atalanta is ranked fifth, and Genoa has also risen to ninth place.
Under the leadership of Daniele De Rossi, the Liguria team has clearly transformed since he took over. From a dangerous position, Genoa has created a safe gap with the relegation group thanks to 4 wins in the last 6 matches.
Despite just losing 0-2 to Como, Genoa is still 11 points ahead of the bottom group and is almost certain to stay in the league when the season is only 4 rounds away. After the victory at Pisa, Genoa is aiming to win 2 consecutive away wins in Serie A for the first time since 2024.
However, with only 1 victory in the last 18 encounters with Atalanta - including a 0-1 defeat in the first leg in December - history is clearly not on their side.
Personnel situation
Although Lorenzo Bernasconi just suffered a serious knee injury and will be out for the rest of the season, Atalanta still has almost full force for the upcoming match.
Two pillars Nicola Zalewski and Ederson were on the bench in the match against Cagliari, but are both ready to return to the starting lineup.
In attack, Gianluca Scamacca continues to compete for a position with Nikola Krstovic - the player who also leads the team's scoring list. With 10 goals in Serie A this season, Scamacca is definitely very determined when facing his old team.
On Genoa's side, Jeff Ekhator and Vitinha are the two names starting in the attack in the most recent match. However, Lorenzo Colombo is trying to return to the squad, while Caleb Ekuban has also recovered and is ready to play.
Brooke Norton-Cuffy has returned from injury, but Daniele De Rossi confirmed that this player is not fit enough to start.
Expected lineup:
Atalanta: Carnesecchi, Scalvini, Djimsiti, Kolasinac, Zappacosta, De Roon, Ederson, Zalewski, De Ketelaere, Raspadori, Scamacca.
Genoa: Bijlow, Marcandalli, Ostigard, Vasquez, Sabelli, Frendrup, Malinovskyi, Amorim, Ellertsson, Ekhator, Colombo.
The match between Atalanta and Genoa takes place at 1:45 AM on May 3rd (Vietnam time).
