Will Real defy the injury crisis in the first leg?
Can Atalanta Bergamo pull off the big coup this time? In the previous season, the Italians failed quite unluckily in the quarter-finals of the Champions League against PSG. This time, the glorious Real Madrid is to be thrown out of the top flight and the best bookmakers do not give the Bergamesci bad odds.
This is largely due to the injury plight of their opponents. The team from the Iberian peninsula will have to cope with numerous prominent absences in the first leg on Wednesday and coach Zinédine Zidane will be forced to experiment with the line-up.
Our Betting Tip : Real Madrid to win ✅ – See the live odds and our analysis below
Atalanta Bergamo – Statistics & current form
Atalanta Bergamo have developed into a real top club under successful coach Gian Piero Gasparini, not only in the national Serie A, but also on the international stage. In the national cup competition, the club is in the final after a victory against Napoli, and everything is still possible in the Serie A table. At the moment, 43 points mean 4th place and thus once again a place in the top flight.
Lombardy’s offensive on fire in the top flight as well?
After their cup success, the Neapolitans were also clearly beaten 4:2 in the league at the weekend. The offensive power of the Lombards struck again and the brilliant attacking duo Duvan Zapata and Luis Muriel netted. German international Robin Gosens also got on the scoresheet. Atalanta have scored at least three goals in nine of their last eleven home games.
This statistic alone testifies to the great power of Gasparini’s team in the forward play. With Joakim Maehle and the Dutchman Hans Hateboer, only two players in the squad are missing due to injury. Otherwise, the coach can send his best eleven onto the pitch, which will not hide from the big names from the Spanish capital.
The Italians are vulnerable at the back
Between Atalanta Bergamo and Real Madrid, a bet on the home side is not hopeless and the Italians will try to put themselves in a good position for the second leg. Ten goals conceded in the last five home games indicate the home team’s weakness. Hurry-up football is not always effective and it will be a case of finding the right balance of attack and defence on Wednesday night.
Predicted line-up of Atalanta Bergamo:
Gollini – Rafael Toloi, Romero, Djimsiti – Sutalo, de Roon, Freuler, Gosens – Pessina – Ilicic – D. Zapata
Real Madrid – Statistics & current form
Zinédine Zidane and his coaching team are struggling at the moment. The injury list at the La Liga runners-up is simply not getting any shorter. At the weekend, the Madrilenians had to make do without nine players.
Sergio Ramos, Carvajal, Eden Hazard, Marcelo, Rodrygo, Valverde, Odriozola and Eder Militao were all absent for the away win against Valladolid. All the more impressive is the fact that Real have won all of their last four matches and have pulled to within three points of city rivals Atletico in the La Liga table.
Will the fortress hold against Atalanta?
The basis for this good run is the stable defence around goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. The keeper has now gone 312 minutes without conceding a goal and the ultimate test awaits the backline against Atalanta’s strong attack on Wednesday evening. The goal for the visitors will be to keep the score as close to zero as possible for as long as possible and to score that one important away goal.
In the second leg in three weeks’ time, some of the injured players may be back and Zidane will have a few more options for his starting line-up. On Wednesday, Casimiro, Modric and Kroos will be set in the centre. These names show how well the Spanish team is set up across the board and that it is by no means a B-team.
Tactician Zidane has a plan on Wednesday
Up front, Asensio, Mariano Diaz and Vinicius Junior will try to provide quick counterattacks. That is where the opponents from Lombardy are vulnerable. Zidane is known as a tactician and the coach will come up with a good match plan. Despite the personnel difficulties, the prediction between Atalanta Bergamo and Real Madrid is that his team will be competitive and possibly surprise on Wednesday.
Predicted Real Madrid line-up:
Courtois – Vazquez, Varane, Nacho, F. Mendy – Casemiro – Modric, Kroos – Asensio, Mariano Diaz, Vinicius Junior
Our Prediction for Atalanta Bergamo – Real Madrid Spain
With the start of the knockout round, the Champions League betting tips on the betting basis go into the hot phase. A particularly interesting match takes place in Bergamo, where Atalanta challenge the royals from Madrid. After the draw, the Spaniards were already rated as favourites in the first leg and in the meantime the betting odds have shifted completely in the direction of the Italians.
This is, of course, due to the major injury plight of the Madrilenians, who have to do without numerous prominent names (Benzema, Ramos, Hazard and many more). This does not change the fact that the visitors will travel to Lombardy with a big chest. Real have won all of their last four league games and have not conceded a goal in over 300 minutes.
In addition, the counter-attacking tactic with a fast Vinicius Junior in attack can be implemented very well against the offensively oriented Italians. The greater experience and cleverness ensures that the value is easily on the side of the away team.
