Sarri responds to critics ahead of Juventus reunion.

Maurizio Sarri responded to the critiques regarding Atalanta’s shaky start to the season ahead of their match against Juventus, emphasizing that he doesn’t have “joysticks to control the players.”

So far, Atalanta has secured six points from their first four Serie A matches under Sarri, suffering losses in their last two games against Roma and Cagliari, both ending in 2-1.

La Dea is only one point behind Juventus as Sarri prepares to face his former team, yet criticism has already begun during his early tenure.

When asked about the pressure on coaches for immediate results in his pre-match press conference, Sarri stated, “If this mentality exists, it is due to you journalists and the directors.”

“Jurgen Klopp remarked that a coach’s efforts are not evident in the first season, let alone the first month.”

“It’s going to be a challenging match. While we coaches are connected to our players, we can’t control the game actively, nor would it be appropriate to do so.”

“In the media, it seems like you believe we have joysticks to command the players! In truth, the outcome of games relies on many factors. For instance, if I manage Levante in Spain, I’m naturally going to lose to Barcelona due to those varying circumstances.”

Details make the difference pic.twitter.com/oDmRQIqRyx

— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) September 16, 2026

Sarri previously managed Juventus for a season in 2019-20, leading them to win the Scudetto with Cristiano Ronaldo on the roster.

However, he was let go after a disappointing exit in the Champions League, but he holds no grudges against the club.

“I have no regrets. It felt as though the Scudetto was taken for granted, but that is in the past now,” Sarri commented.

Juventus manager Luciano Spalletti chose not to hold a pre-match press conference, coming off a 5-0 victory over NEC in the Europa League on Thursday.

Their last Serie A match resulted in a 3-2 defeat against Sassuolo, where Vasilije Adzic scored a last-minute winner for the Neroverdi.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Juventus – Francisco Conceicao

Conceicao has made the most touches in the opposition box for Juventus in Serie A this season (26). However, only Mattia Zaccagni (six) has taken more shots on target than the Portugal winger (four, tied with Federico Bernardeschi, Paulo Dybala, and Armand Lauriente) without finding the net yet this season.

Atalanta – Giacomo Raspadori

Raspadori has a scoring rate of one goal every 96 minutes against Juventus in Serie A, tallying four goals in 384 minutes against the Bianconeri. Among all Serie A teams he has faced for at least 180 minutes, he only has a better goals-per-minute ratio against Genoa (every 83 minutes).

MATCH PREDICTION – JUVENTUS WIN

Atalanta remains unbeaten in their last eight away Serie A matches against Juventus (W2 D6), breaking a previous streak of losing all eight prior away games to the Bianconeri.

They have averaged 1.9 goals per game during this period, scoring in the first half in seven of those eight encounters.

Since the beginning of 2017, 17 out of 19 Serie A matches between these clubs have ended in draws – at least four more than Juventus have had against any other opponent during this time.

However, with the advantage of playing at home, Spalletti’s team is favored to secure all three points, according to the Opta supercomputer.

Our skin for #JuveAtalanta pic.twitter.com/E2RVKPvxuA

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) September 19, 2026

If Atalanta loses three consecutive Serie A matches under the same manager, it will be their first such occurrence since April 2025, while Juventus has faced the fewest shots (28) and recorded the lowest expected goals against value (1.8 xGA) in the league this season.

With four goals conceded, the Bianconeri have allowed 2.2 more goals than expected, and their fortune might change this weekend.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Juventus – 54.8%

Atalanta – 21%

Draw – 24.2%