Planning to watch Atalanta - Sassuolo in Serie A at New Balance Arena in Bergamo? Organize your trip, check the confirmed kick-off details and plan your ticket purchase for a season-opening match featuring two teams starting the campaign under new coaches
Atalanta - Sassuolo: first major test of the new season in Bergamo
Atalanta and Sassuolo open their league season with a head-to-head meeting at the New Balance Arena in Bergamo. The match is scheduled for Sunday, 23 August 2026 at 20:45 CEST. It is the first round of Serie A 2026/27, so there is no points advantage in the table yet, but the context is interesting: both teams enter the season with new coaches and several important questions regarding their squads.
For Atalanta, the league opener comes in the middle of a busy week. Maurizio Sarri's team plays its first European qualifying match against Hapoel Tel-Aviv in Bergamo three days earlier, with the return leg following four days after Sassuolo. Before travelling to Bergamo, Sassuolo will have a competitive test against Cesena in the cup on 17 August. As a result, both teams will have a fresher indication of their form by the first round than the summer friendlies provided.
Ticket sales for this match are under way. Anyone planning a trip to Bergamo would be wise to arrange tickets and transport in advance, especially because traffic around the stadium is restricted on matchday.
Atalanta enter the Sarri era with a range of attacking options
Maurizio Sarri took charge of Atalanta in June. The final test before the competitive part of the season ended in a 1-0 victory over Athletic Club, decided by Nicola Zalewski early in the second half. The starting line-up consisted of Marco Carnesecchi, Odilon Kossounou, Giorgio Scalvini, Raoul Bellanova, Lorenzo Bernasconi, Éderson, Lazar Samardžić, Gianluca Gaetano, Giacomo Raspadori, Gianluca Scamacca and Zalewski.
The same eleven do not necessarily have to start against Sassuolo, particularly because of the European match three days earlier. Still, the latest line-up shows the direction. Scamacca is the central focal point in attack, Raspadori can play between the lines or closer to him, while Bellanova and Zalewski provide width and penetration. Samardžić and Gaetano offer creativity, while Éderson links the midfield with both phases of play.
Atalanta beat Schalke 3-0 and Athletic Club 1-0 in pre-season, lost 2-1 to Feyenoord and defeated Arezzo 3-2. Friendly results are not a prediction for the opening round, but they show that Sarri has several attacking combinations and serious competition for places.
- Gianluca Scamacca - the central finishing point of the attack and a target for more direct forward progression.
- Giacomo Raspadori - mobile between the lines and useful in positional rotations around the striker.
- Nicola Zalewski - scorer of the winning goal against Athletic Club and important in one-on-one situations.
- Éderson - important for the balance of the midfield and for linking transitions with organised attacks.
- Giorgio Scalvini - strong in building play from the back line.
Sassuolo under Aquilani seek stability after an inconsistent pre-season
Alberto Aquilani took charge of Sassuolo in June following the departure of Fabio Grosso. During pre-season, he used a structure with a back four and attackers who can rotate around Andrea Pinamonti. The latest friendly ended in a 3-2 defeat away to Augsburg, but Sassuolo had taken a 2-0 lead: Pinamonti scored from the penalty spot and Cristian Volpato added the second goal.
After that match, Aquilani stressed that the team must do a better job of turning good play into results and maintaining concentration. That is also evident from pre-season: Sassuolo beat Padova 4-1, drew 0-0 with Folgore Caratese, lost 4-1 to Celta Vigo and then 3-2 to Augsburg.
Pinamonti remains the main reference point in the penalty area. Armand Laurienté brings acceleration and shooting ability, Volpato scored against Augsburg, while Nemanja Matić adds experience in midfield. Young Darryl Bakola assisted Volpato's goal in the same match.
Domenico Berardi remains under contract with Sassuolo, but his availability for Bergamo should not be taken for granted. In mid-July, the club announced that he was following an individual programme because of an overload in his right ankle, and he did not feature in the most recently recorded pre-season matches. If he is fit, his experience against Atalanta significantly changes the visitors' attacking picture.
Absences that could affect the starting line-ups
Atalanta already have confirmed problems. Isak Hien underwent surgery at the end of June for an injury to the hamstring tendon of his left leg and was still in a rehabilitation programme in August. Kamaldeen Sulemana suffered a second-degree injury to the medial collateral ligament of his left knee against Schalke and has also begun rehabilitation.
For Sassuolo, Ismaël Koné underwent surgery in June for a fracture of his left leg. That is particularly important because it was Koné who scored against Atalanta in the teams' previous league meeting.
- Atalanta: Isak Hien - rehabilitation after surgery on the injured tendon in his left thigh.
- Atalanta: Kamaldeen Sulemana - second-degree injury to the medial collateral ligament of his left knee.
- Sassuolo: Ismaël Koné - rehabilitation after surgery for a fracture of his left leg.
- Sassuolo: Domenico Berardi - in July he was on an individual programme because of an overload in his right ankle; his status should be checked closer to the match.
Sassuolo beat Atalanta twice last season
The most important part of the head-to-head context comes from last season. Sassuolo won both league meetings. In Bergamo in November 2025, they won 3-0, with two goals from Domenico Berardi and one from Andrea Pinamonti. In March 2026, Sassuolo won 2-1 at home despite playing with ten men from the 16th minute following Pinamonti's dismissal; Koné and Kristian Thorstvedt scored for the hosts, while Yunus Musah pulled one back late for Atalanta.
Atalanta now have a new coach and a different playing structure, so last season's results are not a template for the new meeting. Sassuolo nevertheless arrive at a stadium where they won by three goals less than a year ago, which is reason enough for the hosts not to enter the match with a sense of security.
- Sassuolo 2-1 Atalanta - 1 March 2026.
- Atalanta 0-3 Sassuolo - 9 November 2025.
- Atalanta 3-0 Sassuolo - 17 February 2024.
- Atalanta 3-1 Sassuolo - 3 January 2024.
- Sassuolo 0-2 Atalanta - 20 August 2023.
Tactical detail: space behind the first line of pressure
The key battle could be in midfield. If Atalanta move the ball effectively beyond Sassuolo's first line of pressure, Raspadori, Samardžić and Zalewski can receive it facing the defence. Bellanova's runs and Scamacca's occupation of the penalty area then become particularly dangerous.
Sassuolo can try to close the central channels, force Atalanta towards the flanks and, after winning the ball, quickly look for Pinamonti, Laurienté or Volpato. Such a scenario is particularly interesting if Sarri pushes many players high up the pitch and leaves space behind the ball.
The workload is also important. Atalanta play a competitive match three days before Sassuolo, so changes or more careful management of playing time are possible. Sassuolo will have six days between the cup match against Cesena and the trip to Bergamo. That does not guarantee a physical advantage, but managing the tempo becomes a genuine factor in the opening round.
New Balance Arena: what to know before arriving
The New Balance Arena is located at Viale Giulio Cesare 18 in Bergamo. The league lists a capacity of 23,439 seats, and the stadium was built in 1928 and extensively renovated in recent years. The Curva Nord is named after Federico Pisani, while the Curva Sud is named after Piermario Morosini.
For those arriving by car, Atalanta recommends taking the Bergamo exit from the A4 motorway, then the ring road towards "Valli di Bergamo" and following signs for the stadium. However, traffic restrictions around the stadium are in force from two hours before the match until half an hour after it ends, making public transport the more practical option during that period.
For those arriving by train, the bus station is located close to the railway station, and ATB line 9 runs towards the stadium. After arriving by air, the Airport Bus runs towards the city area and the station, from where it is also possible to continue on line 9.
- Address: New Balance Arena, Viale Giulio Cesare 18, Bergamo.
- Capacity listed by the league: 23,439 seats.
- Public transport: ATB line 9 connects the station area with the stadium.
- Traffic restrictions begin two hours before the match and remain in force until half an hour after it.
- The Ticketing Point opens four hours before kick-off on matchday and provides assistance with tickets as well as sales of remaining seats if any are available.
The opening time of the gates for this specific match has not yet been published in the match information. For some previous home matches, Atalanta opened the gates approximately two hours before kick-off, so it is worth checking the updated instructions immediately before departure.
It is worth securing tickets in good time, but it is equally important to leave enough time for arrival. The evening kick-off at 20:45 means that the largest influx of supporters will overlap with the period of traffic restrictions.
What supporters can expect in the stands
Atalanta already played their first home match of the new season at the New Balance Arena on 14 August, a friendly against Athletic Club. The atmosphere against Sassuolo will be different because the first league points are at stake. Home supporters will see Sarri's Atalanta in Serie A for the first time, while the visitors arrive with a very fresh memory of last season's 3-0 victory in Bergamo.
For travellers, the simplest option is to rely on a train or bus to the central transport hub and then switch to local public transport towards the stadium. Anyone arriving by car should arrange parking before the traffic restrictions begin and should not expect to access the immediate area around the stadium at the last minute.
On the pitch, three things are worth watching from the opening minutes: how high Atalanta position their back line, whether Sassuolo can find Pinamonti before the home midfield closes the passing lane, and how much Sarri changes the starting line-up following the European match. Those three details could provide the quickest indication of which direction the first league evening at the New Balance Arena is heading.
Sources:
- Atalanta - information about the Atalanta-Sassuolo match, kick-off time, ticket sales and Ticketing Point operations.
- Lega Serie A - match time and venue, head-to-head results and information about the New Balance Arena.
- Atalanta - appointment of Maurizio Sarri, pre-season matches, line-up and victory against Athletic Club.
- Atalanta - medical reports for Isak Hien and Kamaldeen Sulemana.
- Sassuolo Calcio - appointment of Alberto Aquilani and reports from pre-season matches.
- Sassuolo Calcio - medical report for Ismaël Koné and information about Domenico Berardi's individual programme.
- Atalanta and Sassuolo Calcio - reports from the head-to-head matches in the 2025/26 season.
- Atalanta - directions for arriving at the stadium by car, train, air and public transport.