Atalanta's recent form has been nothing like the kind that had them top of the Serie A table, advancing in the Coppa Italia, and flying high in the UEFA Champions League not very long ago.
However, the club's fans retain strong belief that, given the oscillating nature of the Serie A title race this season, La Dea going on a good run could swing things in their favour once more.
One win in six games across all competitions is simply not good enough, it goes without saying, but a chance to improve that record arrives on Sunday away to an Empoli side whose last victory came all the way back on December 8, when they beat Hellas Verona (incidentally the last team Atalanta themselves defeated, earlier this month).
Correct score prediction
Empoli face a daunting battle to avoid relegation from Serie A, having struggled for consistency throughout the campaign.
A major factor in their struggles has been their poor home record, managing just one win, five draws, and six defeats at the Carlo Castellani Stadium.
In stark contrast, Atalanta, currently third in the table with 51 points from 25 matches, have been formidable on the road.
With a prolific attack that has netted 54 goals this season—one of the highest tallies in Serie A—Atalanta are widely expected to take all three points when they face Empoli on Sunday.
Prediction: Empoli 0-3 Atalanta
Which version of Lookman would we see against Empoli?
The reigning CAF Player of the Year had been out of action for the last few weeks with a little knee trouble of his own, but returned to action as a half-time substitute in the UEFA Champions League playoff home leg against Club Brugge in mid-week.
Atalanta's plans of blotting out the 2-1 deficit incurred in the reverse was utterly ripped apart by a decisive Brugge first-half performance, and it was only thanks to Lookman's contribution off the bench that made the aggregate score look a tad more respectable.
And Lookman could have done even better than the solitary consolation strike he came up with almost as soon as he replaced Mario Pasalic, had he not had his 61st-minute penalty saved by Simon Mignolet.
That miss drew the ire of manager Gian Piero Gasperini, who described Lookman in some very unflattering words in his post-match remarks, as the Super Eagles forward presumptuously claimed the responsibility of Atalanta's designated penalty-takers and made quite a mess of it.
Will Gasperini look to take Lookman down a peg or two by limiting his involvement in some way — leaving him out of the starting lineup, perhaps — against Empoli?
Also, should he feature at the Stadio Carlo Castellani at all, could Lookman use his manager's brutal takedown — and, indeed, any subsequent action the 67-year-old might take — as fuel to deliver a statement performance?
