JUVENTUS VS ATALANTA

Optimistic Juventus fans will talk to you about the team’s four-game unbeaten run. Their pessimistic counterparts will simply give you a stat – five points from the last 18 available.

This game will be played behind closed doors, as Juve lost their appeal against a one-match ban for racist chanting at Mario Balotelli during the Derby d'Italia.

Some may think the Bianconeri’s season is over. What with Inter a win away from the Scudetto and Milan four points in the distance, there is certainly cause to think so. However, the last three games of the season will be crucial in deciding Italy’s final two entrants in next year’s Champions League.

Juventus still have chance of finishing second, but with fourth placed Fiorentina just three points behind them, victory over Atalanta becomes all the more important. The momentum is certainly with the Viola, who have won six of their last seven games, scoring 13 goals and keeping clean sheets in each of their previous two outings.

Staving off Fiorentina is very important in two respects. If Juventus slip to fourth they will be awarded a lot less prize money. That, in turn, will restrict their ability to rebuild the team in the summer transfer window and possibly collapse the Diego deal.

What’s more, by finishing fourth instead of third, Juventus will have to start the season almost a month earlier and take part in the preliminary stages of the Champions League.

Luckily for the Bianconeri, Atalanta are the team travelling to Turin this weekend, carrying with them a bout of inconsistency. The Orobici have only won two of their last 10 games and are safely ensconced in mid-table with barely anything to play for this season.

Over 10 points clear of both the relegation dogfight and the last Europa League places, Atalanta are already on the beach.

Gigi Del Neri looks set to leave the club in the summer and a lot of the appetite the team showed earlier this season appears to have evaporated. However, Juventus will be wary of the fact Atalanta beat Inter and Roma this season and deserved a victory over Milan.

Keep an eye on: Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus) – The 29-year-old striker is quite a conundrum. He has scored nine goals in just 15 starts this season, most of which have come over the last two months, begging the question: Why did Ranieri not play him earlier in the campaign? However, his form has coincided with the Bianconeri’s worst spell of the season, giving one the impression that the team isn’t as good as a whole with Iaquinta in it.

Last season: Juventus 1-0 Atalanta

Form guide: Juventus (L D D D D) Atalanta (D L W L D)