Carpi Diem! Atalanta make changes to beat minnows on birthday
This weekend’s game will have a special meaning to Orobici fans, however, as the club celebrates its 108th birthday on Saturday. What better than to beat a struggling Carpi and boost their season total to a very respectable 14 points?
The big news (if you can still call it that at this stage)is that Coach Edy Reja looks set to start Chilean striker Mauricio Pinilla, and not German Denis. Having served his one-game ban in the Orobici’s 3-0 humbling on the road against Fiorentina, Pinilla looks to be beating Denis out. Chances are the Argentine could do a fire being lit under him…
Then again, we may been wrong to assume that this was merely a two-way competition. Fresh off his wonderful performance for the Azzurri Under-21 side, Gaetano Monachello could follow up his two-goal, one-assist performance with a surprise inclusion.
It will be up to Reja to work this one out. It’s not as if he isn’t as spoilt for choice elsewhere, either: at the back, the former Napoli gaffer may not be able to use Gabriel Paletta (who was sent off at the Franchi), but he can still count on the likes of Guglielmo Stendardo and Nicolò Cherubin to partner Rafael Toloi, whilst Cristiano Raimondi (or CR77 as he is sarcastically known), Andrea Masiello and Andrea Conti.
In the middle, Carlos Carmona looks set to replace Alberto Grassi after the latter also participated in the Under-21 setup’s midweek triumph.
Sabrina Fratus
translated by Edo Dalmonte
