Ahead of Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League clash, we have the Atalanta vs Real Madrid preview, prediction, latest team news and confirmed lineups.
Atalanta Vs Real Madrid Preview
Perched at the top of the Serie A table, Atalanta will be hoping to continue their fine run in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night.
La Dea are one of the most in-form sides in Europe at the moment. On Friday night, Gian Piero Gasperini’s men beat Milan to make it nine wins in a row in all competitions.
That run has seen fine victories against Roma, Napoli and Parma. In the UCL, Atalanta beat Stuttgart 2-0 before thrashing Young Boys 6-1 last time out.
The Italian club are currently 5th in the new-look Champions League table. They have accumulated 11 points from their opening five games.
Matchday 6 provides a very stern test against the reigning champions. The Black and Blues have only beaten Spanish opposition twice in their last seven outings.
Questa energia 🔥🔋
This energy 👏⚡️#MondayMotivation #GoAtalantaGo ⚫️🔵 pic.twitter.com/t7U6h93cgD
— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) December 9, 2024
15-time winners Real Madrid really need to get a positive result to keep their automatic qualification hopes alive. Los Blancos are currently 24th after losing three of their last four Champions League games.
On matchday 5, Carlo Ancelotti’s side lost 2-0 to Liverpool at Anfield. Kylian Mbappe missed a vital second-half spot-kick when the Reds were only a goal in front.
Prior to that, the reigning champions fell victims to a surprise 3-1 loss to Milan at the Bernabeu. Former Premier League star Alvaro Morata was amongst the goals in the Spanish capital.
On Saturday, Ancelotti’s side recorded a much-needed 3-0 win against Girona. Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler and Mbappe all netted at the Estadi Montilivi.
Ahead of the match, the best football betting sites in the UK price Madrid as the 17/11 match favourites. Atalanta can be backed at 7/4 with the draw available at 11/4.
Atalanta Vs Real Madrid Team News
Former Premier League trio Davide Zappacosta, Gianluca Scamacca and Juan Cuadrado are all missing for Atalanta. However, the 2024 UEFA Europa League winners will likely reinstate Mateo Retegui to the starting XI.
The Italian international is the leading scorer in Serie A this season with 12 goals from 15 appearances. The 25-year-old started on the bench against Milan on Friday.
Ex-Everton forward Ademola Lookman will get to test himself against one of the best sides in the world at the Gewiss Stadium. The 27-year-old has ten goals in all competitions so far this season.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid have been handed a much-needed boost as Vini Jr has returned from injury quicker than expected. The Brazilian missed the last four games with a muscle problem.
Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham have also travelled to Italy as doubts did linger surrounding their fitness but both have been given the green light to feature.
The likes of Eder Militao, David Alaba, Dani Carvajal and Eduardo Camavinga are all still unavailable for Los Blancos. The same applies for Ferland Mendy who sustained a muscular injury against Girona.
🙌 IT'S MATCHDAY! 🙌
🆚 @Atalanta_BC
🕰️ 21:00 CET
🏟️ Gewiss Stadium
#️⃣ #UCL pic.twitter.com/3etU4pQwfO— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) December 10, 2024
Atalanta Vs Real Madrid Confirmed Lineups
Atalanta: Carnesecchi; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Bellanova, De Roon, Ederson, Ruggeri; Pasalic; De Ketelaere, Lookman
Real Madrid: Courtois; Vazquez, Tchouameni, Rudiger, F Garcia; Diaz, Valverde, Ceballos, Bellingham; Mbappe, Vinicius
Atalanta Vs Real Madrid Prediction
Considering their position in the table, Real Madrid know that a win is all that matters against Atalanta on Tuesday. Los Blancos have been surprisingly poor so far in the new-look league stage.
In contrast, the Black and Blues have been flying of late and can make it ten consecutive victories across all competitions.
With that in mind, we fancy the Italian side to edge a tight affair by the odd goal. Gian Piero Gasperini’s men know that they have the ability to hurt the best sides in Europe.
Prediction: Atalanta 2-1 Real Madrid
