Atalanta VS FC Kairat Almaty

After a humiliating 0-3 Serie A defeat to Parma last round, Atalanta have hit a rough patch of form, with only one win across their last six matches in all competitions. Manager Maurizio Sarri is now under significant pressure to reverse the slump, and the side has held closed-door training sessions recently to rebuild team morale and cohesion. Currently sitting 15th in the Conference League league phase standings with 3 points from two matches (1 win, 1 loss, 3 goals scored and 3 conceded), the Bergamo-based side are highly motivated to grab maximum points on their home turf. Their opponents Kairat Almaty rank 31st in the table with just 1 point from two outings, notching 2 goals while conceding 6. The Kazakh side deliver solid showings in their domestic top flight, but have suffered consecutive heavy defeats in recent European fixtures, most recently a 1-5 thrashing by Panathinaikos. Their ability to withstand pressure on away trips is clearly questionable. This is the first ever meeting between the two sides. While Atalanta are desperate to climb up the standings with a home win, Kairat will also fight hard to pick up points to solidify their own position in the league phase.