Atalanta vs Athletic Prediction
📢 How will the Champions League Matchday 7 clash between Atalanta and Athletic end at the Gewiss Stadium? In this tournament, the two teams are facing entirely different challenges: Atalanta sit in fifth place, striving to secure a direct spot in the Round of 16, while Athletic languish in 28th, letting down all of La Liga. It's crucial for Athletic to break into the top 24-they're only two points adrift-so a slip-up in this upcoming match could be devastating for the visitors.
Head-to-Head
📊 Atalanta and Athletic Bilbao have never faced each other on the football pitch before.
H2H Stats Matches and Previous Teams Results
Atalanta Team Overview
🔵 The autumn and winter versions of Atalanta seem like two different teams. Under Ivan Juric, the "Queen of the Provinces" rarely delighted fans with victories. However, since Raffaele Palladino took charge, the Bergamo side have almost stopped making mistakes. In their last 12 matches, they have secured nine victories, significantly improving both their results and quality of play. Yes, their recent Serie A encounter against Pisa (1-1) was not the most convincing, but overall, Atalanta are confidently climbing the table and currently sit in seventh place in the Italian championship.
⚫ In the Champions League, their position is even more impressive. With two rounds remaining in the league stage, Atalanta are in fifth place with 13 points. In their last match, they outplayed Chelsea (2-1) at home, showcasing their dominance over the opponent. Naturally, the "Queen of the Provinces" aims to finish the league stage in the top eight to avoid additional matches, which means they need to maximize their performance in the remaining two rounds.
Match Results: Atalanta
Athletic Bilbao Team Overview
🔴 While Atalanta have managed to stabilize their play after a rocky start, Athletic continue to look unconvincing. The Basque side have secured just two wins in their last eight matches, both coming in cup ties against lower-division Spanish teams: Ourense (1-0) and Leonesa (4-3). Notably, even in these encounters, the Bilbao team required extra time to overcome their opponents. Last weekend, Athletic suffered a 3-2 away defeat to Mallorca, dropping them to ninth place in La Liga, with a gap to the top four now extending to 17 points.
⚪ The Champions League scenario is even more concerning. After six rounds, Athletic have accumulated just five points, placing them 28th overall. During this stretch, they have only scored four goals-only Ajax have fewer, with just two. In the last round, the Basques narrowly avoided a home defeat against PSG (0-0); the Parisians dominated for the full 90 minutes, but Athletic's solid defense held firm for a draw. Nevertheless, such results are hardly satisfying-the team needs victories if they seriously aim to advance to the playoffs.
Match Results: Athletic Bilbao
Latest news
Atalanta
📣 Atalanta head coach Raffaele Palladino expressed his dissatisfaction with his team's first-half performance in their 1-1 draw against Pisa: "We knew it was going to be a tough match-Pisa have already troubled many opponents, and we expected this kind of game. Credit to Pisa, but we took to the field with a mindset that could have been better. Essentially, we handed them the first half. After the break, we played with a different attitude, and I believe a draw is a fair result... In the first half, we lacked pressure and intensity in attack. A month and a half ago, we would have lost this match-just like we did in Verona. Now, we need to be more composed: we need to close out these games earlier because anything can happen later on."
🚫 Atalanta's injury list still includes several players. Ben Godfrey and Raoul Bellanova are continuing their recoveries and are expected back towards the end of January. Mitchel Bakker is recovering from an ACL injury and has already returned to training. Berat Djimsiti's participation is also in doubt due to a muscle injury.
Athletic Bilbao
📣 Athletic Club's head coach Ernesto Valverde has sharply criticized the refereeing decisions that affected the outcome of their match against Mallorca: "We are disappointed with how this match unfolded. From my perspective, that incident was not a penalty and certainly not a yellow card. Despite this, we managed to equalize and kept pushing forward. Then came the second penalty, a goal, and Guruzeta's sending off. The result is extremely unpleasant, and the course of the match leaves a sense of injustice. When referees go to check VAR and return after 40 seconds or a minute, it means the situation is clear. But when it takes a long time, maybe everything is already... I understand that I'm not being objective right now, and Mallorca's coach will say the opposite - that for him, it's a clear penalty."
🚫 The Basque side is facing a more troubling personnel situation. Yeray Álvarez is unavailable due to a suspension (doping), and several players are still recovering from injuries: Unai Egiluz and Beñat Prados are out long-term with cruciate ligament tears, Aymeric Laporte, Mikel Vesga, and Marouane Sannadi are expected back closer to the end of January. Additionally, Nico Serrano's participation remains doubtful as he deals with a hip issue.
⚽️ Goal Prediction
Athletic have been struggling defensively lately, conceding a total of 11 goals in their last three matches across all competitions. While the 0-5 thrashing by Barcelona can be attributed to the opponent's caliber, allowing three goals each against Mallorca (2-3) and Leonesa (4-3) is a clear cause for concern. Meanwhile, Atalanta have no systemic issues in attack, making a bet on Atalanta to score over 1.5 goals a logical choice.
🚩 Corner Prediction
Atalanta are second in Serie A for corners taken, averaging 5.6 per match-only Inter have a higher average at 6.9. In the upcoming match, the Bergamo side are likely to dominate possession and dictate the game's tempo, which typically results in a higher number of corners. Thus, betting on Atalanta to have over 4.5 corners appears to be a well-founded option.
Editorial Prediction
According to bookmakers, Atalanta are the clear favorites in the upcoming clash, and it's hard to argue with that assessment. The teams are in completely different form: Athletic are struggling even against weaker opponents and appear inconsistent. Meanwhile, Atalanta are on the rise, performing confidently in this season's Champions League, and with the support of their home crowd, they should dictate the terms of the game. In this scenario, betting on an Atalanta victory seems the most logical choice. We expect to see a scoreline of 3-1 on the board.
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Betting Tips: Atalanta - Athletic Bilbao
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Comparison of Teams Stats
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