Atalanta welcomes Real Madrid to the Gewiss Stadium on Wednesday, February 24, for the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie.
Both sides endured tricky group-stage campaigns, although the two teams head into Wednesday’s match, having claimed a series of positive results in recent weeks.
Before I share my Atalanta vs. Real Madrid prediction and betting pick, let’s take a look at the bookmakers’ odds.
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Unexpectedly, 10bet views Atalanta (2.40) as the marginal favorite to win this one. But as you can see, the odds gap for this matchup is narrow.
Given the Spanish side’s pedigree, the price for the Real Madrid win (2.75) is bound to attract plenty of interest. The draw (3.60) is also looking like a profitable option here.
Atalanta vs. Real Madrid Match Analysis
An eye-catching run of one defeat in 14 outings has recently seen Gian Piero Gasperini’s men cement their place in the top four of Serie A.
Atalanta also advanced to the Coppa Italia final via a 3-1 victory over Napoli earlier in the month. On Sunday, La Dea clinched a 4-2 win over the same opponent in Serie A, with all the goals coming in the second half.
It is worth noting that six of Atalanta’s last 11 games in all competitions have produced over 3.5 goals.
The Bergamo outfit only managed to win half of their Champions League group matches earlier in the campaign, although two draws eventually saw Gasperini’s side finish four points clear of third-place Ajax in Group D.
Having racked up three goals and three assists in the past four Serie A games, Luis Muriel will be confident of adding to his tally of two UCL goals on Wednesday.
In fairness, Real Madrid’s group-stage campaign proved to be even more perilous.
Two shock defeats to Shakhtar Donetsk left the Spanish giant needing a result against Borussia Monchengladbach, with every team in Group B in contention for qualification on Matchday 6. Thankfully, Zinedine Zidane’s men got the job done.
Since then, Real Madrid has gradually been closing the gap on Atletico in La Liga. Los Blancos now find themselves just three points behind their rivals, despite sitting miles behind a couple of months back.
A 1-0 victory over Valladolid saw Zidane’s side extend their winning streak to four games on Saturday. After keeping another clean sheet, Real heads into Wednesday’s match on the back of three straight shutouts.
It is no secret that Los Blancos boast an extensive injury list at the moment. With key players like Sergio Ramos, Eden Hazard, and Marcelo currently sidelined, Real certainly won’t have it all their own way in Bergamo.
Atalanta vs. Real Madrid Pick
- The Draw
One thing’s for sure – there will be goals on Wednesday. However, when it comes to predicting the outcome of the match, it is very difficult to look past the big odds for the draw here.
Bovada Uefa Champions League Champions
Ultimately, this game could go either way, as both teams like to play an exciting brand of attacking soccer. But the two managers won’t want to throw away the tie in the first leg, so I can see the score ending level on Wednesday.