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Tuesday night’s Champions League match at Stadio di Bergamo will be spectacular. It pits defending champions Real Madrid against Atalanta BC, who are now atop Serie A.
While Atalanta have jumped to the top of the Champions League standings with 11 points after five games, Real Madrid have faltered in Europe this season, collecting just six points in five matches and now sitting in 24th place.
Previous Matches and Head-to-head
Atalanta is, without a doubt, one of the best teams in Europe right now. La Dea comes into this match riding a nine-game winning streak across all competitions, including a 2-1 victory over AC Milan in Serie A last Friday. With 34 points from 15 matches, La Dea currently sits atop Italy’s top flight.
With 11 points after five matches (three wins and two losses), Gian Piero Gasperini’s squad is now in fifth place in the league, and they’ve been as successful in the Champions League this season.
While Atalanta has already won the Europa League, they may make a Champions League impact this year. Much can be gleaned from the league stage, which includes a glamorous match against Barcelona on 29 January.
While they have drawn all of their home games this season against Arsenal and Celtic in a scoreless tie, the Italian team has won all three away games against Shakhtar Donetsk, Stuttgart, and Young Boys, scoring eleven goals.
This will be the second time this season that the Black and Blues have faced Real Madrid; in August, they were defeated 2-0 in the UEFA Super Cup, and their record against Spanish opponents is only two wins in their last seven games.
Real Madrid will be coming off a much-needed 3-0 La Liga win against Girona. They will be looking to move up to second place in the league, two points behind leaders Barcelona, who have a game in hand.
Only two of Carlo Ancelotti’s five Champions League matches have resulted in a victory; the other three have resulted in a loss, the most recent two being at the hands of AC Milan and Liverpool.
With two more league matches to go, Los Blancos will face Brest and Red Bull Salzburg, respectively. They are desperately trying to secure a playoff position in the European Cup.
In their last 38 European away matches against Italian clubs, Real Madrid have won 12, drew 8, and lost 18. However, in their previous 19 games against Italian opponents in general, they have won 17 times.
The Spanish national team is riding high. They won the European Cup for the fifteenth time this season at Wembley Stadium against Borussia Dortmund. They have also won their last eight road games against Italian clubs.
If Real Madrid failed to advance to the Champions League quarterfinals, it would be one of the greatest surprises in history, given that they had done so in their previous 28 seasons.
Atalanta BC x Real Madrid Team News
While Gianluca Scamacca, Davide Zappacosta, and Juan Cuadrado will all be missing for Atalanta on Tuesday due to injury, the Italian club has not announced any new injury worries after Friday night’s league match against Milan.
Mateo Retegui, who started on the bench against Milan but will likely start today, has been fantastic this season. He has appeared in 21 games in all competitions and scored 14 goals. He is 25 years old.
At Stadio di Bergamo, you may find Ademola Lookman, who has ten goals and five assists, and Charles De Ketelaere, who has five goals and nine assists. Both players are having fantastic seasons.
In terms of Real Madrid, Ancelotti’s roster has three upgrades going into the match, thanks to the inclusion of Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, and Jude Bellingham.
The Brazilian Vinicius has returned to action earlier than anticipated after missing his team’s last four matches across all competitions due to a muscle injury. He is a starter for this encounter and is likely to start.
Additionally, Rodrygo is back in action after sitting out Saturday’s league match with a muscle injury, while Bellingham is back in the lineup following a fitness concern against Girona.
Because of Ferland Mendy’s hamstring injury, Fran Garcia will start at left-back instead of Eder Militao, David Alaba, Dani Carvajal, or Eduardo Camavinga, who are all injured.
Our Predictions
Full time draw @ 3.65 on Sky247.ng
Real Madrid can’t afford to lose ground with their current standing in the league and desperately needs a win on Tuesday. However, Atalanta is a top-notch team, and we need help backing them to lose in this match. A draw was the final decision, and we anticipate a fantastic football match.
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