Atalanta BC reconvene with Lazio on Sunday for their second meeting in a matter of days, having sent their Roman counterparts crashing out of the Coppa Italia in midweek.
Victory in Bergamo made it back-to-back wins over major rivals for Gian Piero Gasperini's team, while bringing to an end the Biancocelesti's string of five straight successes in all competitions.
Match preview
Two sides top of the Serie A form table face off again this weekend, with Atalanta having just secured their second victory of the season over Lazio, as they narrowly made it through to the Coppa Italia semi-finals.
La Dea emerged triumphant from the clubs' quarter-final clash, winning 3-2 despite being a man down for most of the second half, when Jose Luis Palomino was sent off.
That impressive comeback further established their dominance over the Rome side while under the leadership of Gian Piero Gasperini, as Atalanta are unbeaten in their last seven Serie A games against Lazio and have won four of their five most recent meetings.
At the end of September, the pair's encounter at Stadio Olimpico ended 4-1 to the Bergamaschi - largely thanks to the inspired interventions of then-captain Papu Gomez, who moved to Sevilla earlier this week.
Since the playmaker's removal from the squad due to an irreparable fall-out with Gasperini, contrary to expectations, Atalanta's fortunes have only improved.
A merited 3-0 defeat of Milan last week was just the latest in a string of dominant showings from the Nerazzurri, who are now level on points with Juventus and just one behind third-placed Roma in the Serie A standings.
Re-established as a team to fear, Gasperini's men have now suffered just a single defeat in 14 matches in all competitions. Certainly, they can look towards Sunday's encounter with confidence, even though they are set to face a Biancocelesti side restored to full strength.
Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi was left frustrated by some of his second-string squad members on Wednesday night, with stand-in defender Wesley Hoedt even issuing an apology to enraged Lazio tifosi and his teammates after the game, due to his calamitous role in their cup elimination.
The Dutch international slid clumsily into a challenge with Duvan Zapata to give away a second-half penalty - which the Colombian striker uncharacteristically missed - after having already been outsmarted by Luis Muriel for Atalanta's second goal and caught in possession for the third, scored by Aleksei Miranchuk.
Notwithstanding their midweek disappointment, the Aquile are currently seventh in Serie A - just two points behind Sunday's hosts - and have finally found form after a disappointing start to their 2020-21 campaign.
Strikes from goalscoring stalwarts Ciro Immobile and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic saw them to a 2-1 win over fellow top-four contenders Sassuolo last time out in the league, with the team clearly galvanised by having beaten rivals Roma 3-0 in the Derby della Capitale.
Amid a run of successes which saw the Biancocelesti gain ground on their fellow contestants for a European spot, Inzaghi's men have remained unbeaten in Serie A so far this calendar year.
Integral to the improvement of a formerly inconsistent side has been greater resilience in defence; after conceding 25 goals in their first 16 games, Lazio have now let in just four more in their last six league outings.
Continuing that trend at the Gewiss Stadium may prove a bridge too far for Inzaghi's men though, as the last four matches between them and free-scoring Atalanta have seen an average of five goals per game. Music to the ears of neutrals, who can anticipate another wide-open 90 minutes this time around.
Atalanta BC Serie A form: WWWDDW
Atalanta BC form (all competitions): WWDDWW
Lazio Serie A form: LDWWWW
Lazio form (all competitions): WWWWWL
Team News
Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini is expected to restore Duvan Zapata, Josip Ilicic and Rafael Toloi to his starting XI, with Luis Muriel, Ruslan Malinovskyi and Jose Luis Palomino dropping out.
The Nerazzurri's potent wing-back combination of Robin Gosens (suspended) and Hans Hateboer (doubtful with a foot injury) will be broken up, so Joakim Maehle should continue to deputise on the right, with Matteo Ruggeri potentially coming in on the left.
Lazio's Luis Alberto has resumed training after recovering from appendicitis and could be recalled to the starting XI if passed fit in time, otherwise Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro would continue in the central three of Simone Inzaghi's 3-5-2 formation.
Felipe Caicedo is still struggling with a heel problem and top scorer Ciro Immobile is unable to train consistently due to an ongoing ankle injury. Both forwards have been playing with the aid of pain-killing injections, but Immobile will continue in attack alongside Joaquin Correa - midweek goalscorer Vedat Muriqi returns to the bench.
Goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha may be facing knee surgery, so Pepe Reina will continue as the Biancocelesti's last line of defence.
Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:
Gollini; Toloi, Romero, Djimsiti; Maehle, De Roon, Freuler, Ruggeri; Pessina; Ilicic, Zapata
Lazio possible starting lineup:
Reina; Patric, Acerbi, Radu; Lazzari, Milinkovic-Savic, Leiva, Akpa Akpro, Marusic; Correa, Immobile
We say: Atalanta BC 2-2 Lazio
If ever there was the opportunity to apply the label 'Goals Guaranteed' to a fixture, then this would certainly be it - both sides are in great form and enjoy taking the initiative in games.
Though the enforced absence of a Gosens vs. Lazzari head-to-head will be a big miss, there are several other fascinating match-ups to look forward to on Sunday, with a number of attackers in either setup now functioning at their brilliant best.
