Atalanta vs Juventus
Atalanta and Juventus are set to engage in a Club Friendly at Gewiss Stadium this Saturday night, as both teams prepare for the upcoming 2025-26 Serie A campaign.
La Dea underwent drastic changes this offseason, as they have a new manager and a set of new players following a busy summer transfer window. Those changes have yet to translate to success on the pitch, as Atalanta are winless in their last two exhibition games against Koln (4-0) and NK Opatija (2-2). After facing Juventus, Atalanta will open their Italian top-flight campaign against newly promoted Pisa next week.
The Bianconeri have also undergone a series of changes in the past few weeks. They also changed head coaches, albeit earlier than Atalanta, and have had a hectic summer transfer window. After a Round of 16 finish in the Club World Cup, Juventus drew 2-2 against Reggiana and won 2-1 against Borussia Dortmund. Igor Tudor’s side will open their Italian top-flight campaign against Parma next week.
Talking Points
Atalanta still haven’t solved their Lookman situation
Atalanta must sort out their starting XI before the season begins, as they sold some of their best players this summer. Since Gian Piero Gasperini left his managerial post to join AS Roma, Atalanta sold Mateo Retegui and Matteo Ruggeri to Al-Qadsiah and Atletico Madrid, respectively, recouping around €85 million. They also released veteran centre-back Rafael Toloi, who had been in Bergamo for 10 years.
Losing Retegui is a major blow for Atalanta because he was the team’s top scorer last season. The 26-year-old forward won the Capocannoniere award after notching 25 league goals in 36 matches, helping Atalanta secure a Champions League spot. On the other hand, Ruggeri has emerged as one of the best young full-backs in Europe.
To make matters worse, the club is not on good terms with Ademola Lookman, who singlehandedly led them to Europa League glory not too long ago with his hat-trick. Lookman submitted a transfer request to leave Atalanta this summer, citing “broken promises” and “poor treatment” from the Bergamo side, and he is keen on joining Inter Milan.
La Dea cannot afford to have a disgruntled player in their ranks, so we expect them to offload Lookman soon. Once that happens, we expect the likes of Gianluca Scamacca, Charles De Ketelaere, Ederson, Marten de Roon, and Kamaldeen Sulemana to take care of the scoring load.
Juventus have a surplus of strikers
One of the biggest lineup decisions Igor Tudor will have to make is who will lead Juventus’ frontline this upcoming season. Barring new outgoings, Randal Kolo Muani is unlikely to return to the Bianconeri following his six-month loan stint from PSG, and Tudor will choose between Dusan Vlahovic, Jonathan Davis, Nicolas Gonzalez, and Francisco Conceicao.
Juventus signed David on a free transfer from Lille and paid roughly €32 million to bring in Conceicao from Porto. The Bianconeri also added Lloyd Kelly and Joao Mario to strengthen their full-back depth.
David will likely start up front against Atalanta this weekend, with Kenan Yildiz and Francisco Conceicao behind him. Andrea Cambiaso, Khephren Thuram, Manuel Locatelli, and Joao Mario should form their midfield, while Gleison Bremer, Lloyd Kelly, and Pierre Kalulu will likely cover goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio at the back.
History
Atalanta went undefeated against Juventus last season. La Dea drew 1-1 against the Bianconeri last January, as Mateo Retegui scored the equaliser after Pierre Kalulu first found the back of the net for Juventus. Two months later, Atalanta registered a 4-0 win in the reverse fixture at the Allianz Stadium, as Retegui, Marten de Roon, Davide Zappacosta, and Ademola Lookman found the back of the net. Juventus haven’t won a Serie A match against Atalanta since a 2-0 result at Gewiss Stadium last May 2023, although they managed to beat them 1-0 in the Coppa Italia final in May 2024.
La Dea and the Bianconeri finished third and fourth in the Serie A standings last season at 74 and 70 points, securing Champions League berths in the process. In the previous year (2023-24), Juventus were third with 71 points and Atalanta were fourth with 69 points.
Juventus are the winningest club in Serie A history with 36 titles, although their last Scudetto was won back in 2019-20. In stark contrast, Atalanta had only been in the Italian top-flight since 2011 after winning Serie B. La Dea’s trophy case pales in comparison to Juventus’. Their only major trophies are a Coppa Italia from 1962-63 and the Europa League in 2023-24.
The SBOTOP Club Friendly 2025 odds expect several Club Friendly 2025 highlights from both sides this Saturday.
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