Atalanta BC need to respond to Monday's humiliating 3-0 Serie A defeat to Parma when they host Kairat in the Conference League on Thursday.

The defeat prompted Maurizio Sarri to criticise his players' mentality as they entered a "ritiro" ahead of facing a Kairat side now managed by Zhora Arutyunyan following Rafael Urazbakhtin's sudden resignation.

Match preview

Atalanta had gone four matches without winning before Parma visited Bergamo on Monday night, but the ensuing defeat was still jarring.

The Emilians were winless in four matches, losing three and failing to score in three while languishing in the bottom three; however, Atalanta's collapse in front of their own supporters angered Sarri enough to make a training retreat his response.

Players are no longer permitted to return home ahead of Thursday's European visit from Kairat, as La Dea seek to arrest a worrying slump that has brought three defeats in five matches and six goals conceded across the other two fixtures, draws of 4-4 and 2-2 with Frosinone and Fiorentina respectively.

Sarri's men have conceded 14 goals across their five-match winless run, letting in at least two in every fixture to underline their frailties ahead of Conference League matchday three.

The Bergamaschi sit 15th after two rounds, winning once before losing 2-0 to Ajax last time out, but their position in Europe's third-tier club competition is far from irretrievable.

Kairat, though, are in a worse position than the Nerazzurri, with the Kazakhstani outfit winless after two matches following a draw with Riga on matchday one and a heavy 5-1 home defeat to Panathinaikos in the previous round.

That Conference League defeat on October 22 formed part of a three-match winless run and a sequence of one victory in four fixtures, leading to Urazbakhtin's resignation and Arutyunyan's subsequent appointment.

The two-time title-winning manager's departure was unexpected, but the Yellow Blacks cannot dwell on it for long, with their continental prospects at risk of further damage if they suffer consecutive defeats in the competition this week.

Despite Atalanta's own struggles, Kairat's prospects appear bleak given their failure to win any of their last four European away fixtures across Champions League and Europa League qualifying and Conference League action.

Sary-Qaralar suffered 1-0 defeats to both Omonia and Levski Sofia and lost 3-0 to Anderlecht before ending their scoreless run and sequence of defeats with a 1-1 draw at Riga last month.

Those struggles may therefore give Atalanta hope of a response, although the Yellow Blacks will seek an improved performance to compound the Bergamaschi's misery during their extended winless run.

Atalanta BC Conference League form:

Atalanta BC form (all competitions):

Kairat Conference League form:

Kairat form (all competitions):

Team News

Franck Kessie (calf), Sead Kolasinac (thigh), Giacomo Raspadori (thigh) and Gianluca Scamacca (thigh) are believed to be touch-and-go for Atalanta, while Thomas Kristensen (muscle), Raoul Bellanova (thigh), Isak Hien (muscle), Odilon Kossounou (thigh) and Gianluca Gaetano (muscle) are sidelined as the hosts contend with a spate of muscular injuries.

Nikola Krstovic remains Atalanta's leading goal threat with six Serie A strikes, and the forward could make his first European appearance of the season if Scamacca is not ready to start.

Kairat have fewer injury concerns, with Jorginho the visitors' only absentee, having not featured since July.

While Kairat have had two different goalscorers in the Conference League, Marc Gual and Edmilson have both reached double figures domestically, combining for 22 league goals to establish themselves as Sary-Qaralar's leading attacking threats.

Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:

Carnesecchi; Zappacosta, Scalvini, Obric, Bernasconi; Ederson, Pasalic; Elmas, De Ketelaere, Rowe; Krstovic

Kairat possible starting lineup:

Anarbekov; Tapalov, Martynovich, Shirobokov, Mata; Mendonsa, Oksanen; Mrynskiy, Gual, Tuyakbaev; Edmilson

We say: Atalanta BC 2-0 Kairat

Atalanta's humiliation against Parma makes a convincing response far from certain, but Kairat's return of one goal from their last four European away matches offers the hosts some encouragement.

With Krstovic potentially leading the attack, La Dea should have enough quality to end their five-match winless run and ease the pressure on Sarri.

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