Atalanta in Champions League hunt after cruising past Lecce

Atalanta are firmly in contention for next season's Champions League after beating lowly Lecce 3-0 on Monday and creeping to within five points of Serie A's top four.

Goals from Giorgio Scalvini, Lecce old boy Nikola Krstovic and Giacomo Raspadori gave seventh-placed Atalanta a straightforward win at the Stadio Via del Mare.

Raffaelle Palladino's side took advantage of Como's goalless draw at Udinese in Monday's early fixture and the 5-2 hammering dished out to Roma by league leaders Inter Milan last night.

Roma, in sixth and the Conference League spot, and fifth-placed Juventus lead Atalanta by a single point, with Juve hosting Genoa later on Monday.

And with Atalanta welcoming Juve on Saturday – Como face Inter by the lake on Sunday – and then travelling to Roma the following weekend, the Bergamo club are back in the Champions League mix.

Lecce were booed off by disgruntled fans after a defeat which left their team back in the relegation zone, level on 27 points with Cremonese, who sit just outside the bottom three thanks to their superior head-to-head record.