Atalanta vs Genoa: Palladino Takes On His Old Team in the Coppa Italia
Match preview, stats, line-ups and key info for the Serie A showdown at New Balance Arena 🏟️
This week, six matches of the Round of 16 of the Coppa Italia will be played, while the last two fixtures will take place in January 2026. The Round of 16 is decided in a single match. If the game ends in a draw after the 90 minutes, extra time will not be played; the match will go directly to a penalty shootout.
The qualified teams will advance to the quarter-finals (first leg: 4/2/2026, second leg: 11/2/2026).
Here is the full Coppa Italia Round of 16 schedule:
2/12/2025 21:00 Juventus – Udinese 2-0
3/12/2025 15:00 Atalanta – Genoa
3/12/2025 18:00 Napoli – Cagliari
3/12/2025 21:00 Inter – Venezia
4/12/2025 18:00 Bologna – Parma
4/12/2025 21:00 Lazio – Milan
13/1/2026 21:00 Roma – Torino
27/1/2026 21:00 Fiorentina – Como
The final of the 79th edition of the Coppa Italia will be played on 13 May 2026 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
In this article, TotalSportNews.com provides all information about Atalanta vs Genoa, including form, head-to-head record, probable line-ups, match time and designated referees.
Atalanta Back on Track Under Raffaele Palladino 🏃♂️
With new head coach Raffaele Palladino, Atalanta have rediscovered their rhythm. After the defeat in Naples on his debut on the Bergamo bench, Palladino quickly gave the team a clear structure, and the players responded with a convincing Champions League win followed by another victory in Serie A.
Here are Atalanta’s results since the new coach’s arrival:
Serie A – 22/11/2025: Napoli vs Atalanta 3-1
Champions L. – 26/11/2025: Eintracht F. vs Atalanta 0-3
Serie A – 30/11/2025: Atalanta vs Fiorentina 2-0
Raffaele Palladino now faces the club he played for from 2008 to 2011 and again during the 2017–2018 season.
As a manager, Palladino has already met Genoa four times in his career – winning all of them, twice with Monza and twice with Fiorentina:
Serie A – 10/12/2023: Monza vs Genoa 1-0
Serie A – 09/03/2024: Genoa vs Monza 2-3
Serie A – 31/10/2024: Genoa vs Fiorentina 0-1
Serie A – 02/02/2025: Fiorentina vs Genoa 2-1
After this Coppa Italia clash, Atalanta will travel to Verona on 6 December, before hosting the world champions Chelsea in the Champions League on 9 December.
Source: transfermarkt.com
Daniele De Rossi and Genoa: A Perfect Match from Day One 👍
Daniele De Rossi has not disappointed expectations: against Verona in Serie A, Genoa finally returned to a home league victory that had been missing for 239 days. Since his debut as Genoa’s head coach, De Rossi remains unbeaten, with a draw in Cagliari and the win over Verona. As De Rossi said on the day of his official presentation, Genoa — and especially the Genoa club — is “the right place” for the former Roma midfielder. Since his arrival, he has restored confidence and belief to the Rossoblù squad.
As a coach, De Rossi has faced Atalanta only once: Atalanta vs Roma 2-1 (12/05/2024). He did, however, win the only managerial showdown against Palladino: Monza vs Roma 1-4 (02/03/2024). As a player, De Rossi also won his only Coppa Italia encounter against Atalanta: Roma vs Atalanta 3-0 (11/12/2012).
Who Takes the Field Today? 👟🧤
In the Coppa Italia, it’s never easy to predict the likely line-ups with a high degree of certainty. The reason is simple: many Serie A clubs use Coppa Italia fixtures to rotate their squad, rest key starters, and give playing time to those who’ve featured less throughout the season.
However, this competition also grants qualification to next season’s Europa League — and for a team like Atalanta, currently far behind in the league standings (12th place, 16 points, 8 behind Como and Bologna), this trophy could represent a more realistic path to European football.
t’s also worth remembering that Atalanta have reached three Coppa Italia finals in the last seven editions, while Genoa have not reached the quarter-finals of this competition since 1992.
For these reasons, it’s impossible to know in advance which players will start. We can only make educated guesses: Gianluca Scamacca is expected to start on the bench, as well as Ederson , and Zappacosta. More likely to start are midfielder Pasalic and striker Sulemana.
For Genoa, Swiss goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist could replace Nicola Leali. In defence, Otoa will almost certainly take Marcandalli’s place, while in attack will likely start Ekuban and Carboni, replacing Vitinha and Colombo.
Player to Watch: Jeff Ekhator, the Talent with a Big Rossoblù Heart ❤️💙
Osayuki Jeff Ekhator was born in Genoa on 11 November 2006 — the year Italy won the World Cup in Germany — to Nigerian parents. Since childhood, as several former academy coaches recall, he dreamed of wearing the Genoa shirt, the team of his city and the club he loved. Within a few years, that dream became reality.
Standing 1.88 m tall, Ekhator is a powerful centre-forward with excellent acceleration and strong aerial ability. After being scouted by several Ligurian clubs, he grew in Genoa’s youth academy and made his professional debut on 9 August 2024 in the Coppa Italia against Reggiana, coming on in the 84th minute. Just eight days later, on 17 August, he made his Serie A debut in the 2-2 draw against Inter.
On 5 October 2024, he etched his name in Genoa’s history: he scored his first Serie A goal in the 5-1 defeat to Atalanta — becoming the first player born in 2006 to score in the top flight and the fourth-youngest scorer in Genoa’s history.
Ekhator already has more than 30 Serie A appearances, with two goals to his name. He has also represented Italy at youth level, and many observers consider him one of the most promising Italian forwards of the next decade.
Beyond his technical qualities, what stands out is his bond with the city: Genoa, its colours, and his desire to succeed with the club he loves have made him a fan favourite.
In a young team still under reconstruction, Ekhator has room to grow. With the right mix of patience, hard work, and confidence, he could become a key figure for Genoa. His name is already on the radar of Italian football — one to watch closely, because Jeff Ekhator is only at the very beginning of what could become an extraordinary journey.
Tonight, he chases his second goal in Coppa Italia, after scoring against Empoli — and he returns to the stadium where he netted his first Serie A goal.
Probable line-ups 🎽
ATALANTA
(3-4-2-1)
57 Sportiello
19 Djimsiti
4 Hien
23 Kolasinac
16 Bellanova
8 Pasalic
15 De Roon
59 Zalewski
17 De Ketelaere
7 Sulemana
90 Krstovic
Team manager 🧑🏫
Raffaele Palladino
Reserves 🔁
GK: 29 Carnesecchi, 31 Rossi
DF: 3 Kossounou, 77 Zappacosta, 69 Ahanor, 43 Bernasconi
MF: 13 Ederson, 6 Musah, 10 Samardzic, 44 Brescianini
AT: 9 Scamacca, 70 Maldini, 11 Lookman
Not available players ❌
Bakker, Scalvini
GENOA
(3-5-2)
31 Siegrist
15 Norton-Cuffy
34 Otoa
22 Vásquez
77 Ellertsson
73 Masini
32 Frendrup
8 Stanciu
40 Fini
21 Ekhator
23 Carboni,
Team manager 🧑🏫
Daniele De Rossi
Reserves 🔁
GK: 1 Leali, 39 Sommariva
DF: 5 Østigård, 3 Martin, 27 Marcandalli
MF: 2 Thorsby, 10 Messias, 14 Onana, 30 Cuenca,
AT: 9 Vitinha, 29 Colombo, , 76 Venturino, 18 Ekuban
Not available players ❌
Malinovsky, Sabelli, Gronbaek, Cornet
Atalanta – Genoa pre-match information 📋
📅 Match date: 3 December 2025
🕒 Match time: 15:00
🏟️ Venue: New Balance Arena, Bergamo (Italy)
🧑⚖️ Referee: Mario Perri (Section: Rome)
Assistant Referees: Davide Imperiale (Genoa), Lorenzo Giuggoli (Grosseto)
Fourth official: Andrea Colombo (Como)
VAR: Alessandro Prontera (Bologna)
AVAR: Daniele Chiffi (Padua)
Where to watch ⚽📺
Italy: Italia1
USA: Paramount+
Argentina: DGO, DIRECTV Sports Argentina
Japan: DAZN Japan
Saudi Arabia and Qatar: Shahid, Tabii
Rest of the world: Check local listings
Full list available at:
https://www.livesoccertv.com/it/match/atalanta-vs-genoa/1wrcf#5463954
Atalanta wants to secure their ticket to the quarter-finals today against Genoa.
For Raffaele Palladino, this is the best way to plan the rest of the season.
Follow all the day’s emotions on TotalSportNews.
Because with us, football is always total. ⚽🔥