UEFA Champions League Preview: Atalanta vs Real Madrid – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction

Gewiss Stadium forms the backdrop for one of the standout fixtures of UEFA Champions League Matchday 6 as Atalanta and Real Madrid go head-to-head in a mouth-watering contest. Plenty is at stake, considering both teams desperately need three points to consolidate their hopes of securing automatic knockout qualification

Atalanta head into proceedings in a buoyant mood after leapfrogging Napoli at the Serie A table’s summit over the weekend. Friday’s 2-1 home triumph against Milan saw Gian Piero Gasperini’s side open up a two-point gap at the top while extending their winning streak in all competitions to an eye-catching nine matches.

Keen to build on last season’s UEFA Europa League success, Atalanta boast an impressive five-game unbeaten start to the newly formatted league phase (W3, D2). Despite commencing this round in fifth, the Italians can’t afford to rest on their laurels, with ninth-placed Aston Villa only one point adrift.

Visiting Real Madrid would gladly trade places with Atalanta after back-to-back defeats to Milan and Liverpool significantly derailed their chances of securing automatic qualification. Carlo Ancelotti’s charges, stuck in 24th in the 36-team table, trail eighth-placed Monaco by four points, meaning there’s virtually no margin for error in Bergamo.

Los Blancos regained lost confidence in the build-up to this trip with a landslide 3-0 victory at Girona on Saturday, whittling down the gap on La Liga leaders Barcelona to only two points. More importantly, out-of-sorts superstar Kylian Mbappe returned to the scoresheet after missing consecutive penalties against Athletic Bilbao and Liverpool.

Match Preview

Atalanta

Poised to avenge a 2-0 defeat in August’s UEFA Super Cup, Atalanta will be out to seize the momentum and potentially land a knockout blow on Real Madrid’s quest to secure automatic qualification. However, that task is nothing short of Herculean, with La Dea losing both previous Champions League meetings against the reigning European champions, including a narrow 1-0 loss on this ground.

Atalanta’s overall home record against Spanish opposition can’t inspire much confidence either (W1, L2). On top of that, both their home matches in this season’s league phase have ended scoreless, even though Gasperini’s team generated a promising 1.75 xG or better on both occasions. However, Arsenal and Celtic stood firm at the Gewiss Stadium.

Young Boys couldn’t follow in their footsteps as Charles De Ketelaere’s incredible performance inspired Atalanta to a thumping 6-1 triumph in Bern. Indeed, the Belgian forward contributed to five goals against the Swiss side, forming part of Atalanta’s sterling run of scoring 2+ goals in their last nine competitive outings.

Real Madrid

Real Madrid’s chances of avoiding a knockout phase playoff place look slim after Ancelotti’s men suffered three defeats across the opening five matchdays (W2). Los Merengues find themselves in uncharted territory ahead of the kick-off. Two-goal margin reverses to Milan and Liverpool put them at risk of losing three consecutive games in the same Champions League season for the first time in club history.

Oddly enough for a team of their stature, Real Madrid’s last five competitive fixtures have fluctuated between victories (3) and defeats (2), with four of those five results yielding a 2+ goal margin and seeing the winner on the day keeping a clean sheet. Therefore, breaking the deadlock could be a match-defining moment.

Topically, Real Madrid had conceded first in back-to-back away defeats before putting Girona to the sword at the weekend. However, it’s worth noting that they’ve lost both Champions League games on the road this season without scoring, which paints a bleak picture for Ancelotti’s underperforming crop of superstars.

Team News

In addition to long-term absentee Gianluca Scamacca, Atalanta boss Gasperini can’t call upon the services of experienced wingbacks Juan Cuadrado and Davide Zappacosta. All eyes will be on Mateo Retegui, Ademola Lookman, and De Ketealere as Gasperini’s formidable trio continues to tear opposition defenses at will.

As for Real Madrid, Ancelotti faces a selection nightmare, lacking several significant defensive pieces. Davide Alaba, Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, and Ferland Mendy are unavailable for Tuesday’s trip. Furthermore, Eduardo Camavinga is on the sidelines with a thigh injury.

Atalanta vs Real Madrid Potential Starting Line-ups

Atalanta (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Bellanova, De Roon, Ederson, Ruggeri; De Ketelaere, Retegui, Lookman.

Real Madrid (4-3-3): Courtois; Vazquez, Tchouameni, Rudiger, F Garcia; Valverde, Bellingham, Modric; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius.

Atalanta vs Real Madrid Prediction

As one of the most in-form teams in Europe, Atalanta can realistically hope to topple the record-time European champions. Though Real Madrid are in a dire situation and can ill-afford a slip-up, we expect Gasperini’s free-firing squad to pour more misery on Ancelotti’s star-studded line-up.

Prediction: Atalanta to Win

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