AS Roma vs Atalanta BC

AS Roma welcome Atalanta to the Stadio Olimpico on 5 September for Serie A's third round, and this one carries extra weight: it's the first meeting between Gian Piero Gasperini and the club he managed for nine years before taking the Roma job. Both sides opened the season with wins and sit near the top of the table, giving this an early-season feel of two contenders testing themselves. Roma announced themselves with a 4-0 demolition of Fiorentina, Donyell Malen scoring a hat-trick with every goal teed up by Paulo Dybala, while Niccolò Pisilli added a fourth off the bench. Atalanta needed a second-half fightback to beat Sassuolo 2-1 under new coach Maurizio Sarri, with substitute Nikola Krstović grabbing a late winner alongside fellow sub Charles De Ketelaere. Historically Roma hold the upper hand over Atalanta, and both sides will be eager to carry their opening-day momentum into this early litmus test. Our prediction: 2-1