Sunday's matinee in black and blue could decide the next Serie A champion

They share the same colours.

They share the same offensive-minded football philosophy.

They share the same desire - to win the Scudetto.

They share the fifth place in the Serie A table.

All those similarities aside, what Atalanta and Inter Milan definitely don't have in common is the current form. Unlike the latter, today's hosts are on a terrible streak of defeats (three in the last five games), which has pushed them down the table.

On the other hand, despite that excruciatingly deserved 2-0 loss to Juventus in the Derby d' Italia, Inter are doing quite acceptably and praiseworthy in the last couple of games.

Juve win Derby d' Italia, punishing Inter for a couple of the first-half sitters

However, if they want to continue their title quest, just like Atalanta, Simone Inzaghi's boys must win this early game and reach the World Cup break with lots of reasons to be cheerful.

When it comes to Atalanta, only a few weeks ago, they were neck on neck with Napoli at the summit, but a decline in form saw them fall to a 14-point deficit to the leaders. If those wheels of theirs keep going in the same direction, not only the dreams of Scudetto and the Champions League football will be a distant past, but the black and blue squad will succumb to disappointing mid-table surroundings.

SERIE A - ROUND 15

Friday

Empoli - Cremonese 2-0 (0-0)

/Cambiaghi 46, Parisi 88/

Saturday

Napoli - Udinese 3-2 (2-0)

/Osimhen, Zielinski 31, Elmas 58 - Nestorovski 79, Samardzic 82/

Sampdoria - Lecce 0-2 (0-1)

/Colombo 45+1, Banda 83/

Bologna - Sassuolo 3-0 (1-0)

/Aebischer 30, Arnautovic 50, Ferguson 78/

Sunday

14:30: (3.15) Atalanta (3.40) Inter (2.40)

17:00: (1.90) Roma (3.50) Torino (4.70)

17:00: (2.20) Monza (3.40) Salernitana (3.60)

17:00: (2.20) Verona (3.40) Spezia (3.60)

20:00: (1.75) Milan (3.70) Fiorentina (5.40)

22:45: (2.05) Juventus (3.50) Lazio (3.90)

***odds are subject to change***