Spezia vs Atalanta prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2023-01-03 13:30.
Spezia were beginning to turn a corner prior to the World Cup (W1, D1) so will be desperate to regain momentum as Serie A (SA) resumes. They restart just one place ahead of the relegation zone so have a small buffer to work with, but they could be busy in January trying to hold on to defender Jakub Kiwior, who is reportedly wanted by a host of clubs.
Any such disruption will be unwelcome as they try to maintain solid home league form (W2, D4, L1) this term, although with just one clean sheet during that sequence, it’s unsurprising that their other defenders aren’t gaining much attention. A result against Atalanta might change that though, as they haven’t won a H2H anywhere since June 1931 (D5, L7)!
Atalanta lost their last three SA games of 2022, so they mightn’t be too disappointed to see the back of the year, even though they remain in a European qualification place. Like their hosts, they face a busy January trying to hold on to players or seeking replacements as Jérémie Boga and Giorgio Scalvini are wanted men.
Their 2-1 loss at Lecce (Nov 9) was their first league away defeat of the season (W5, D1), so La Dea have travelled well this term and they’ll make the short trip to the Ligurian coast confident of extending that dominant H2H record. They scored exactly once before half-time in each of their last four SA road matches too (W2, D1, L1), so another good start should help.
Players to watch: M’bala Nzola has scored five of Spezia’s last eight league goals and his last five goalscoring SA appearances also featured over 2.5 goals. If Ademola Lookman scores for Atalanta, then similar entertainment usually follows – he opened the scoring in two of their last three league games, both of which produced at least two further goals.
Hot stat: Atalanta have scored in a joint league-high 14 (93%) of their SA games this term.