Gasperini confident Atalanta can beat Napoli

Serie A’s top two collide at the Gewiss Stadium as Atalanta welcome runaway leaders Napoli to Bergamo.Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini (64) is confident Serie A leaders Napoli can be defeated despite Luciano Spalletti's (63) side being on a 12-match unbeaten run.

Gasperini's men have lost just once in the league this season and are second in the standings, five points behind Napoli who they host on Saturday.

"We are working well, there is a good spirit in the team and there is a nice atmosphere overall. Our (place in the) table and our results are very good. At the beginning of the season, I think it was hard to predict this would be a top-of-the-table clash," Gasperini told reporters on Friday.

Against Liverpool in the Champions League on Tuesday, Napoli suffered a rare 2-0 defeat at Anfield after late goals from Mohamed Salah (30) and Darwin Nunez (23).

"(The loss) says they are not unbeatable although they deserved more against Liverpool," Gasperini added.

"When you lose you pay a little more attention and react (better). Sometimes after a victory you have enthusiasm but you pay less attention to uncovering what the difficulties were.

"We will have to do something important to get a result. It will be important not to give space to their fast forwards but also not to sit too deep. We will need a focused display."

The previous Serie A fixture between the sides saw Napoli win 3-1 at Gewiss Stadium last season. Lorenzo Insigne struck first for the Partenopei in the 14th minute from the penalty spot. Matteo Politano and Eljif Elmas also found the net. Marten de Roon scored for the Orobici in the 58th minute.