The China Mail - Atalanta eye Serie A summit as title challenge takes off

A point behind current leaders Napoli, Atalanta are gunning for a club record-equalling ninth straight win in Italy's top flight and are, for the first time in their history, genuine title challengers.

Atalanta have never finished higher than third in Serie A, which they did three seasons in a row between 2019 and 2021 with a thrilling team featuring an all-action attack of Josip Ilicic, Duvan Zapata and Papu Gomez.

However the current line-up, still on a high from last year's historic Europa League triumph and the division's top scorers with 36 goals, looks capable of going even further in Gian Piero Gasperini's ninth season as coach.

Atalanta have won 11 of 12 matches in all competitions -- drawing the other -- since the start of October and after Monday night's 2-0 success at Roma, Claudio Ranieri said they were "ready, really ready" to fight for the league crown.

"Winning the Europa League really helped those who took part in it grow as players, and a lot of new faces have arrived who are also developing. That's the reason for these results," said Gasperini after his team hit Young Boys for six last month.

A win over Milan would put Atalanta top at least for two days as Napoli host Lazio on Sunday night, and equal a Serie A wins record established in 2020 when Bergamo was the European epicentre of the Covid-19 pandemic.

That year Atalanta stunned Europe by reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League, where two late goals denied them a win over mega-rich Paris Saint-Germain and a spot in the last four.

Since then, Atalanta have kept building on and off the pitch, with the latest iteration of "Gaspball" being played out in the now fully refurbished Gewiss Stadium, one of the few grounds in Serie A owned by the club and not a public body.

Atalanta, a traditionally small, provincial club with fanatical support, host Real Madrid on Tuesday and have come so far under Gasperini and the guidance of the local Percassi family that few would be surprised by a win.

First up, however, are Milan, who are 10 points behind Napoli with a game in hand but have won their last three matches against the modest opposition of Slovan Bratislava, Empoli and Sassuolo, netting 12 times in the process.

Champions Inter Milan kick off the weekend's action on Friday against Parma at the San Siro, Simone Inzaghi's side set to play for the first time since last weekend's match at Fiorentina was called off following Edoardo Bove's harrowing collapse.

Both Inter and Fiorentina, who host Cagliari on Sunday, are three points behind Atalanta with a game in hand following a traumatic evening which reminded fans of former captain Davide Astori's sudden death in 2018.

The Viola await an official diagnoses of what caused midfielder Bove, who is still in intensive care at Florence's Careggi hospital, to lose consciousness.

Player to watch: Tijjani Reijnders

If Milan are to get anything from Bergamo, Tijjani Reijnders will be key as the Netherlands midfielder is in hot form and the one constant performer in Paulo Fonseca's otherwise inconsistent side.

Reijnders smashed in his seventh goal of the season on Tuesday night as a largely second-string Milan outfit hammered Serie B leaders Sassuolo 6-1 in the Italian Cup, his third in two games after also netting a brace against Empoli last weekend.

The 26-year-old has a good claim to be Serie A's best midfielder right now and will be up against it with Ederson and Marten de Roon making Atalanta fans forget Teun Koopmeiners' big-money move to Juventus.

Fixtures (times GMT)

Friday

Inter Milan v Parma (1730), Atalanta v AC Milan (1945)

Saturday

Genoa v Torino (1400), Juventus v Bologna (1700), Roma v Lecce (1945)

Sunday

Fiorentina v Cagliari (1130), Verona v Empoli (1400), Venezia v Como (1700), Napoli v Lazio (1945)

Monday

Monza v Udinese (1945)

C.Mak--ThChM