As Juventus strolled into the Coppa Italia quarterfinals final season, we noticed their opponent as a comparatively easy one to get previous. Reality was that Empoli have been within the midst of a relegation battle that may finally see them despatched all the way down to Serie B, and Juve have been wobbling but nonetheless very a lot favorites over the struggling Tuscan facet.
We all know .
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So now 12 months later, Juventus are once more within the Coppa Italia quarterfinals . However as a substitute of getting one other mid-table or provincial facet as we noticed a 12 months in the past because of an upset, Juventus will likely be going through an Atalanta facet that has rebounded from their brutal begin to the season now that the extremely good-looking Raffaele Palladino has taken over for Gian Piero Gasperini disciple Ivan Juric. And in contrast to so many different years prior the place Juve’s quarterfinal tie could be on the Allianz Stadium, the Bianconeri will make the journey to the New Stability Enviornment in Bergamo on Thursday evening in the event that they wish to get one step nearer to profitable their first trophy since Max Allegri’s last recreation in cost.
It’s removed from the straightforward job that we initially considered final season’s quarterfinal to be.
As a substitute, Juventus will likely be going through an Atalanta squad that has earned simply three factors fewer than Luciano Spalletti has for the reason that former took over for Juric on Nov. 11. La Dea additionally completed simply two spots behind Juve within the Champions League league part desk — which, surprisingly, was one of many few occurrences in Juric really bought just a few factors to his identify throughout his temporary time in cost in Bergamo.
However with regards to Thursday evening, it’s fairly the tough matchup for a Juventus squad that was completely embarrassed on this spherical of the Coppa Italia this time final 12 months.
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The nice factor is that Juventus are in a a lot completely different area and general mind-set in comparison with once they have been dumped out of the Coppa Italia by Empoli final season. They’ve bought rather more stability on the managerial place, and the general degree that the squad is acting at 5 weeks into 2026 looks like a stark distinction while you really feel like dipping again into the depths of the place issues have been 12 months in the past. (However don’t do it for that lengthy as a result of we don’t need you to begin feeling actually horrible or simply begin doomscrolling for the following couple of hours.)
Juventus are coming off a 4-1 win over Parma over the weekend, a recreation wherein they technically scored 5 targets for the second time within the new 12 months if you wish to depend Andrea Cambiaso’s personal objective as such. The Bianconeri have gained three of their final 4 video games in all competitions and have solely dropped factors on three events — two attracts and a dominant but complicated loss to Lecce — since their Dec. 7 loss to Napoli in Naples.
Atalanta’s kind on the entire has improved since Palladino took over, however the final couple of weeks haven’t been very variety to them. After beginning 2026 with wins over Roma, Bologna and Torino, La Dea have gained simply one in every of their final 5 video games in all competitions, together with a 1-0 loss to Union Saint-Gilloise within the UCL league part finale that might have gotten Atalanta into the highest eight if they’d gained. That’s on prime of a loss per week earlier to Athletic Membership within the Champions League — which, as you’ll be able to most likely guess, was simply as pricey because the loss seven days later in Belgium.
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And let’s not neglect that the one purpose why Atalanta didn’t get hammered by Como over the weekend is as a result of efforts of Marco Carnesecchi in objective, stopping Cesc Febregas’ facet from scoring regardless of a whopping 5.42 whole in Anticipated Targets on the day.
So if there ever was a “good” time to be going through Atalanta in a one-off cup tie, this may be a kind of cases contemplating its the primary prolonged interval of dropped factors and irritating outcomes beneath Palladino. Now we simply are about to search out out if Juventus are those who add to Atalanta’s latest struggles or if it’s a second straight season wherein the Coppa Italia quarterfinals is how far the Bianconeri go within the competitors.
The winner of Thursday evening’s matchup will face the winner of subsequent Wednesday evening’s quarterfinal between Bologna and Lazio on the Renato Dall’Ara.
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Luciano Spalletti didn’t maintain a pre-match press convention on Wednesday, due to this fact we don’t have any clues as to simply how a lot of the standard Coppa Italia squad rotation will happen although Juventus are going through a comparatively sturdy opponent.
Then once more, we do know who’s out injured for Thursday evening’s Coppa Italia quarterfinal matchup. With Daniele Rugani’s mortgage transfer to Fiorentina, there are solely two gamers on the damage checklist: Dusan Vlahovic and (in fact) Arek Milik.
Whereas he’s technically not thought-about injured by many within the Italian press, Kenan Yildiz isn’t anticipated to begin towards Atalanta on Thursday evening. that Yildiz will likely be a part of the touring squad and doubtlessly out there off the bench in Bergamo. (That Juve touring squad has not been introduced as of this writing.)
As is the norm, Mattia Perin is predicted to be Juventus’ starter objective for his regular Coppa Italia task.
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JUVENTUS PLAYER TO WATCH
Oh, Juventus are enjoying Atalanta, you say?
And it’s the Coppa Italia in which there’s sure to be some kind of squad rotation, proper?
Properly then which means we additionally get our newest likelihood to speak about our favourite former Atalanta participant!
What? You have been anticipating Emil Holm?
(OK, possibly quickly, however Spalletti doesn’t strike me as a supervisor who would begin a participant who arrived initially of the week in an vital Coppa Italia tie. Possibly I’ll be mistaken, however I’m not relying on it.)
At this level, my very own private expectations for Juventus midfielder Teun Koopmeiners can principally be summed up like this: if it’s something near respectable, then that’s only a bonus. That’s as a result of Koopmeiners, a 12 months and a half into his time as a Juventus participant, has utterly did not dwell as much as what he did at Atalanta and the large price ticket wherein the earlier entrance workplace paid for him in the summertime of 2024.
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Koopmeiners remains to be the participant that you simply hope to try to get a lot extra out of, however it’s simply not occurred outdoors of possibly a handful of video games over the past 18 months. Issues gave the impression to be working higher for him as a member of the three-man protection, however now that he’s again in additional of a midfield position it simply looks like the identical previous points are beginning to come again to the forefront once more.
Including to the potential worries towards Atalanta: He’s being tipped to begin alongside Manuel Locatelli in midfield. Within the small variety of occurrences wherein these two have performed alongside one another, it has not precisely gone nicely. However the factor is, it’s not like Spalletti has a complete lot of different choices in midfield outdoors of Koopmeiners if he have been to rotate and try to give some guys some relaxation after an intense begin to 2026.
The one factor I’m sure of taking place with regards to the Koopmeiners-related space of focus? The reception that he will get from the gang in Bergamo will likely be simply as frosty because it at all times is. That’s a stone-cold lock.
MATCH INFO
When: Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026.
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The place: New Stability Stadium, Bergamo, Italy.
Official kickoff time: 9 p.m. native time in Italy and throughout Europe, 8 p.m. in the UK, 3 p.m. Jap time, 2 p.m. Central time, 12 p.m. Pacific time.
HOW TO WATCH
Tv: TLN (Canada); Premier Sports activities 1 (United Kingdom); Italia 1 (Italy).
On-line/Streaming: , CBS Sports activities Golazo Community, Amazon Prime USA (United States); DAZN Canada; fubo Sports activities Community Canada (Canada); DAZN UK (United Kingdom); Mediaset Infinity (Italy).
Different dwell viewing choices may be discovered , and as at all times, you may as well comply with together with us dwell and all of the silly issues we are saying . If you happen to haven’t already, on Black & White & Learn All Over, and be a part of within the dialogue under.