Last season Atalanta came fifth in the Serie A with 64 points, Roma came sixth with 63. Now, almost a year later, both teams are in fifth and sixth position again, locked on 60 points.
Atalanta do have a game in hand and a superior goal difference but big things are on the line for both at the end of this epic Serie A season.
They face off in Bergamo this Sunday night in what very much feels like a European Cup play-off match. As thanks to Italy’s fantastic performance in Europe this year, fifth place in the Serie A this season means a spot in the 2024/25 Champions League.
Such an accomplishment could have a very beneficial domino effect for either one of these two clubs. Just reaching the Champions League, before playing or winning a game, is a massive financial boost. A necessary injection of cash for any team looking to compete towards the top of a major European league.
Beyond the prize money that can be won, Champions League nights are a special occasion, and the status that comes with that is a big help when trying to recruit quality players in the summer transfer window. This game is huge for both clubs, and can completely dictate how their summer and 2024/25 season will look.
Atalanta are in the driving seat here for a number of reasons. Teun Koopmeiners, their star man, is fit and has 16 goals and assists in the league so far this campaign. Attacking duo Ademola Lookman and Gianluca Scamacca are in fine form too. Together they have scored 10 goals in the last 10 games for La Dea.
The Bergamo team are on form and riding high after reaching a first ever European Cup Final. They defeated Marseille 3-0 on Thursday to reach the Europa League Final in Dublin later this month, and they are also taking on Juventus in the Coppa Italia Final next Wednesday.
Atalanta have lost just one home league match in 2024, when Bologna defeated them in March. Whereas Roma have won just two of their last seven away games in all competitions. The Giallorossi are also unsure of the fitness of talisman Paulo Dybala. The Argentine has 22 goals and assists in the league this season, but as always, he has struggled with injuries.
In fact, Roma have only won one of their last six games, that victory came away to Udinese. They have had a tough fixture list though. They lost to fourth place Bologna in the league and drew against last year’s Champions Napoli and third place Juventus. More recently their own best efforts at reaching the Europea League final were put to bed by Bayer Leverkusen.
Roma were 2-0 down from a tricky first leg but went 2-0 up in Germany on Thursday. Despite getting back into the tie against Europe’s most in-form and literally unbeateable team of the season, Roma would end up drawing 2-2 and losing the semi 4-2 on aggregate.
Roma really need to win this game on Sunday, and they certainly cannot lose. However Atalanta have a crazy couple of weeks ahead, which means a positive result for Daniele De Rossi’s men on Sunday could really keep their Champions League hopes alive. Gasperini’s team have games every few days for the next few weeks, and those games are all high stakes, might they crumble under the physical and mental pressure of the run-in?
Roma’s final game of the season is at home to mid-table Genoa. Atalanta have a trip to Lecce and then host Torino all in the same week that they take on Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League Final. Crucially, if they were to win that final, then that would be the question of Champions League qualification sorted by other means, but don’t forget they have a cup final with Juventus before all that.
Roma are holding on for dear life but at least they have one goal to focus on, whilst Atalanta are going for two major trophies but are still edging their rivals in the league table. It’s incredible how two teams have been so close for two seasons, both domestically and in Europe. Yet, it could all end so differently for each side, and goal difference could be the fine line between European glory and a season of despair.
Last year Atalanta did the league double over Roma, and in the reverse fixture this season it was a 1-1 draw in the capital. Anything but a Roma win on Sunday puts the home team firmly in the driving seat for fifth place, but De Rossi’s men will take a lot of hope from their rallying response in Germany on Thursday.
As Italian football lovers it would be incredible to see Roma get fifth and Atalanta win the Europa League. Such events would see both qualify for the UCL, and mean that six Italian sides would play in the European Cup next season, but Atalanta won’t care for that one bit, and this Sunday in Bergamo they’ll be looking to bury Roma’s hopes once and for all.
Joseph O’Sullivan | GIFN
