OUR man in Rome and resident Serie A expert Marco Di Cosmo (@scioltz) shares his thoughts on Monday night's Serie A match-up from the capital.
Roma v Atalanta | Monday 27th August 2018, 19:30 | Eleven Sports
Roma have started their season with a victory against Torino and I am expecting them to do the same when they face Atalanta on Monday night.
The Giallorossi have no injury issues and they have plenty of quality to rotate in the team. Last week, the addition of Justin Kluivert and Patrik Schik from the bench proved to be crucial and their depth is probably their biggest strength.
Losing Kevin Strootman to Marseille this week should not be so painful- the Dutch international is not anywhere near to his old form and Steven Nzonzi as a replacement is clearly on another level.
On the other hand, Atalanta have different priorities at this time of the season. They are determined to overcome Copenhagen to access Europe League for the second consecutive year, so they should rotate a lot in their team.
La Dea's last continental clash was played on Thursday and could bring some fatigue, and their heads may not be focused so a return match in Serie A could prove to be a distraction.
Best Bets
Roma v Atalanta – Roma to win and Over 1.5 Goals (1/1 Ladbrokes)
