The Stadio Olimpico will be the centerpiece of the penultimate day of Serie A, the last of this 2024. To challenge each other, the fourth and the first, therefore Lazio and Atalanta. Separated by six points, the two teams are among the more than positive notes of this first part of the championship and will try not to slip right at the end so as not to add an unhappy interlude to an applaudable first part of the championship that, for Atalanta, in fact, could be said to be almost unbelievable because the isolated first place is an irrefutable mark of the potential of Gasperini's team, a Scudetto potential while regarding Baroni's Lazio, even considering the new technical guidance, there is more astonishment, for how in such a short time the biancazzurri already seem to be shaped. A few absences on either side will not limit the interest and technical figure of this match that may represent, for both, a pivot of this season.

Lazio's shape and key statistics

Lazio has the main absentees ahead of Saturday's match, and they are quite heavy absentees involving all areas of the pitch: Romagnoli, Vecino, Noslin and Pedro will be out and this will be a tare that Baroni will have to be good at filling. His Lazio side, however, are doing great so far: in their last six matches, considering all competitions, they have won five times, losing only to Inter in what is also their only home defeat of the season.

For the Biancocelesti, the credit notes continue, or rather increase in Europe, as Lazio, together with Atletico Bilbao, lead the Europa League standings with an impressive 16 points from their first six matches. At the Stadio Olimpico, Lazio have an extra gear, as suggested, even if the 0-6 against Inter was a heavy one, but that knockout was also the only one, at home, of the Capitolini's last 18 matches.

Atalanta's shape and key statistics

Atalanta's fantastic moment can be summed up by writing that in the last two months, since 26 October so far, La Dea have always won, losing only one match, that against European and World Champions Real Madrid. This, perhaps, is enough to give an idea of the state of form of the leading team which, after the 3-2 win against Empoli, can boast, together with Inter, the best attack in the league (42 goals in 17 games).

The Nerazzurri have lost three league games so far, but all of them have been a long time ago, because in their last 11 Serie A matches, 11 victories have come, and this, of course, implies that even playing away from Bergamo is not a problem for Gasperini's band, who have won all of their last eight away matches.

Match prediction and tactical overview

The aforementioned 0-6, resounding in size, with which Lazio were defeated at home by Inter can be seen, in the biancazzurra's house, as both a warning and an exception but, probably, even with a completely different result, the favourite team for Saturday's match would still be Atalanta. Lazio's formation problems are to be taken into account while, for Atalanta, there is yes the absence of Retegui, already overcome on the run against Empoli. The fact remains, however, that both sides will lack offensive references and that this, combined with the centrality of the match could hold the two teams back more than usual. BetMines' prediction fluctuates a little on the number of goals, but gives about a two-thirds chance to a match with a maximum of three goals, and therefore to an Under 3.5 goal, which seems a conservative choice, but nevertheless, looking at the odds, certainly not a foregone conclusion.

• The BetMines algorithm prediction for the Lazio - Atalanta match predicts Under 3.5 goals at 69%.
• The BetMines Algorithm prediction for the Lazio - Atalanta match predicts Over 3.5 goal 31%.

Lazio v Atalanta predicted lineups

Lazio (4-2-3-1): Provedel, Marusic, Gila, Patric, Tavares; Guendouzi, Rovella; Isaksen, Dia, Zaccagni; Castellanos. Coach: Baroni.

Atalanta (3-4-1-2): Carnesecchi, Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Bellanova, Ederson, De Roon, Ruggeri; Pasalic; Lookman, De Ketelaere. Coach: Gasperini.