Atalanta secured a place in the Conference League at the end of the 2025/26 season, but Maurizio Sarri will now lead the team in a potential bid to win it. This will already be the club’s second match under ‘Mister 33’.
Feyenoord
Feyenoord reached the league phase of the Champions League, but the club and Robin van Persie have gone their separate ways. Second place in the Eredivisie was not enough for the board, so Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who has already led Feyenoord to the league title, will now prepare the Rotterdam side for the season. The team are already playing friendlies regularly because, unlike Serie A, the Dutch league starts in early August. The ‘Pride of the South’ are in decent shape for the season: they have beaten all four opponents, including recent Conference League finalists Rayo Vallecano 2:1 in their latest match.
Atalanta
Atalanta, who finished seventh in Italy, have so far earned more than they have spent, so they will certainly strengthen further. They had to sell the talented Marco Palestra to Chelsea: the right-back’s price rose 15-fold in one season, with an added ‘English premium’. At Lazio, constrained by a transfer ban, Sarri had to struggle all season to find solutions from within. It will be a little easier in Bergamo, but of course it cannot compare with the resources of Juventus or Chelsea, where he has worked.
Feyenoord vs Atalanta Prediction
Therefore, we do not see the lively, attacking Feyenoord as underdogs in this pairing. Yes, breaking down Atalanta’s defence will be difficult, but the hosts’ incisive counter-attacks will hurt the Nerazzurri. The visitors, who have not yet hit their stride, could well succumb to the Dutch side’s pressure.
