Atalanta vs. Sassuolo, Sarri and Aquilani make their debuts
Starting the season with a win would not only improve the record books but also provide the perfect platform for both sides to begin working towards their ambitions. Atalanta had won each of their first seven Serie A openers (from the 2018/19 season onwards), before that run came to an end with a draw against Pisa last season. Sassuolo, meanwhile, have lost each of their last three opening-day fixtures against Napoli, Atalanta and Juventus, conceding seven goals without finding the net.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
There have been 17 official meetings between the two sides in Bergamo: 13 home wins for Atalanta (the latest a 3-0 victory in Serie A 2023/24), 2 draws (the latest a 1-1 draw in Serie A 2016/17) and 2 Sassuolo wins (the latest a 0-3 victory in Serie A 2025/26).
Atalanta-Sassuolo will be played on Matchday 1 of Serie A for the second time in their history: on 20 August 2023, Atalanta won 2-0 at the Mapei, with Zortea and De Ketelaere scoring late. That season, Sassuolo were relegated to Serie B for the first time in their history.
DID YOU KNOW?
Atalanta are entering their 66th Serie A season: the Bergamaschi move into the top ten clubs with the most appearances in Italy's top flight, level with Sampdoria.
Atalanta are unbeaten in their last 8 Serie A openers: 7 wins and 1 draw, with their last defeat coming on 20 August 2017, at home against Roma (0-1).
Armand Laurientè is one of 8 players to feature in all 38 rounds of Serie A 2025/26, alongside Svilar (Roma), Colombo (Genoa), Butez and Douvikas (Como), Falcone (Lecce), Caprile and Adopo (Cagliari).
Sassuolo have not picked up points on Matchday 1 in Serie A since 21 August 2021: a 3-2 win at Verona, followed by 3 defeats in their next 3 openers without scoring. Their last goal in those 3 matches was scored by Hamed Traorè in the 79th minute at Verona, with the drought now standing at 281 minutes.
Sassuolo have reached the Coppa Italia Round of 32: a 3-0 home win over Cesena, with goals from Volpato, Adzic and Lipani.
Sassuolo are entering their 13th Serie A season: among cities that are not provincial capitals, only Empoli (17) have played more Serie A seasons. Sassuolo will equal the number of Serie A appearances made by Modena, the capital of their province.
Considering all official matches played, Atalanta have scored more goals against Sassuolo than any other Serie A team: 61.
Sassuolo finished 11th in Serie A 2025/26: collecting 49 points. For the fourth consecutive year, a newly promoted side avoided relegation comfortably: Monza finished on 52 points in 2022/23, followed by Genoa, Como and Sassuolo, all with 49 points, from 2023/24 onwards.
COACHES and PLAYERS
Maurizio Sarri and Alberto Aquilani will meet for the first time in an official match.
Maurizio Sarri is the oldest coach to have won the Scudetto in the single-round Serie A era: he achieved it with Juventus in 2019/20, aged just under 61 years and 7 months.
Alberto Aquilani is making his Serie A coaching debut: alongside him, Amorim (Milan), Abate (Torino) and Tedesco (Bologna) will also be making their Serie A debuts.
Alberto Aquilani is one of 6 coaches to manage a club they previously played for, alongside Chivu (Inter), Pisacane (Cagliari), Fabregas (Como), Allegri (Napoli) and Abate (Torino).
No player produced more xG than Nikola Krstović (15.26) in the 2025/26 season.
DISCIPLINE
Suspended: none
Cautioned: none
REFEREE
CREZZINI (MELI – FONTEMURATO) IV: PAIRETTO VAR: GIUA AVAR: MAGGIONI
UPCOMING MATCHES
Atalanta-Bologna (31/8, 20.45)
Sassuolo-Torino (29/8, 18.30)
(Photo Getty Images)