Napoli vs. Atalanta 12/4/21 Serie A Soccer Picks, Predictions, and Odds

Napoli is welcoming Atalanta to Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in round 16 of the Italian Serie A. Napoli is still at the top of the table, but they slipped up against Sassuolo the other day. Atalanta is on fire, and they have won their last 4 Serie A games.

In that game against Sassuolo, Napoli wasn’t at their best, and they have had 50% of ball possession, 4 shots on goal, 4 corner kicks, 1 big chance created, and 85% of the correct passes. After the first half ended in a 0-0 draw, I wasn’t expecting a lot of goals in the second half, but it was exactly the opposite. We saw 4 goals in the second half, 2 on each side, and the final score was 2-2. Napoli’s defense which was solid for a bigger part of the season so far is slowly slipping, but the good news is Napoli’s offense is still on fire. With 36 points, Napoli is at the top of the table, and they have scored 32 goals while conceding 9 goals. Napoli is playing in the Europa League next week, but it will be on Thursday which means they have enough time to rest after this game. I think Napoli has the quality to win the title this season, and if they don’t win it now, I don’t know when they will.

As I’ve mentioned, Atalanta is on fire on both ends, but they are playing a very important match in the Champions League next week, and for that reason, I think they might be resting a few players in this game. Atalanta hasn’t lost any of their last 9 games while winning their last 2 in a row. In their last game against Venezia at home, Atalanta was the better team with 59% of ball possession, 6 shots on goal, 4 corner kicks, 4 big chances created, and 87% of the correct passes. This was a routine game for Atalanta, and that was how they dealt with it. Atalanta has won this game 4-0. Next week, Atalanta is hosting Villarreal in the Champions League, and honestly, I really like their chances to win and to advance to the next stage. Zapata is the leading goalscorer for Atalanta with 9 goals, while Pasalic added 7 goals and 5 assists. Atalanta is once against looking like a fun team who is scoring a lot of goals and is always looking for more, and I love it.

When playing at home, Napoli has not lost to Atalanta in their last 3 games, while Atalanta hasn’t lost in their last 9 games overall. I think this will be a great game, and I just can’t see it with less than 3 goals. There will be a lot of chances, a lot of shots, and I will take goals on both sides.