Sassuolo delivered a shock 5-2 win over reigning champions Milan at San Siro last weekend.
Here’s why you mustn’t miss their clash with Atalanta on Saturday.
Sassuolo
Atalanta
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Lookman is a star
Leicester fans might not recognise the current version of Ademola Lookman.
The Nigeria international’s previous highest goal tally in a single campaign was six that he netted for the Foxes in 2021/22, but since moving to Atalanta in the summer he’s become a changed man.
Lookman is the second highest scorer in Serie A with 12 goals in 14 starts for Atalanta this season and joins an exclusive list of players that managed to reach a dozen goals in their first 20 games in the Italian top flight.
Only Cristiano Ronaldo, Andriy Shevchenko, Romelu Lukaku, Diego Milito and Krzysztof Piątek have managed that same feat, which raises the question of what’s changed for Lookman?
The 25-year-old puts it down to a change in diet, more sleep, and a healthier lifestyle out in Italy. But there’s also his new boss, Gian Piero Gasperini.
“He’s intense, a strong man, a top coach,” Lookman confessed in an interview with the Times. “He always wants us to attack, he loves seeing goals. But there’s a structure: he wants us to build through the thirds.
“I definitely have a defensive role, to help the team within the structure, but that defensive role also allows me to attack.”
You might want to look out for him on OneFootball this Saturday.
Sassuolo coming off the back of Milan shock
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Before last weekend, things were looking bleak for Sassuolo.
They were sitting 17th in the table with just 17 points from their opening 19 games.
And it was for exactly this reason that no-one could’ve predicted what happened next.
Alessio Dionisi’s men were 4-1 up at half time, with the score ending up at 5-2 by the time the final whistle blew.
Perhaps five goals scored at San Siro will give Sassuolo the attacking breakthrough they’ve needed all season, and in fact a look at the stats shows that they register the seventh-most shots on target per game of all Serie A teams.
Which of course sets things up nicely for an encounter with another side that enjoys scoring goals.
A potential goal fest
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Just as Sassuolo had a 5-2 win at the weekend, Atalanta have enjoyed a huge win of their own this season, an astonishing 8-2 win over Salernitana.
This fixture looks like it could see plenty of goals and attacking play, as only Milan (56) have had more direct attacks than Atalanta (52) and Sassuolo (48) this season.
In fact, a look back at this fixture shows no scoreless draws in the last six encounters between these sides, and 22 goals scored in total.
Who will come out on top on Saturday?
