Inter have not claimed all three points against Atalanta since April 2010 and were beaten in the last two meetings at San Siro.
Giacomo Bonaventura struck both goals last season in a 2-1 win at Inter for Atalanta, but he left for Milan on transfer deadline day.
In German Denis, though, Atalanta can call upon a striker who has netted six goals in four games against Inter.
Three draws and three wins have given Atalanta something of a hold over Inter over the past three seasons and head coach Stefano Colantuono will hope to extend that streak.
Inter needed Mateo Kovacic to rescue a point in a 1-1 draw at Palermo on Sunday after a mistake from Nemanja Vidic had gifted Franco Vazquez the opening goal inside the opening three minutes.
Mazzarri was disappointed with the display and has demanded a response at San Siro in midweek.
"We still have to work on the mind and on the legs," said the Inter head coach. "We are Inter Milan, these are the things we must do.
"We are always growing. [Palermo] was a difficult game, but we certainly can do better."
The draw extended Inter's unbeaten start to the new season in all competitions and just a point separates them from Atalanta, who lost for the first time in 2014-15 on Sunday following a 1-0 reverse against Fiorentina.
Colantuono, though, was impressed with his side's performance.
"I liked the way they approached the game and if they continue to play like this then we will have few concerns," the head coach said. "My team showed a lot of intensity [against Fiorentina].
"The team put in a fine performance and we played great football."
One positive to come out of the Fiorentina defeat was the return to the matchday squad of Gianpaolo Bellini and the defender is pushing to make his first appearance of the season.