Real Madrid vs Atalanta
After crashing out of the Champions League round of 16 in each of the last two seasons, Real Madrid are in a good position to return to the quarter-finals this time around.
Los Blancos will head into their second leg at home against Atalanta with a 1-0 lead to protect after a late win away in Italy.
With both Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos now fit, the Champions League 2021 betting odds have Zinedine Zidane’s side pegged as favourites to win again at home, although a draw would be enough to see them through.
But Atalanta still have goals in them, and they will not be afraid to attack the Spanish giants as they try to mount a comeback in Madrid.
Talking Points
Real Madrid late show rolls on
Real Madrid are clearly not the force they once were this season. Scoring goals remains a major struggle for them; they have had more than two goals in a single game just once in 2021.
But to their credit, they do not give up and still somehow find a way to score, often in the last few minutes of the match.
They did just that in the first leg against Atalanta as they got a late Ferland Mendy goal to beat the Italians, who went over 70 minutes down to 10 men. And in their La Liga three games since, they scored four goals, three of which have come in the 88th minute or later.
Vinicius and Karim Benzema both scored late equalisers to salvage decent draws against Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid in the derby. Then, Benzema scored two late goals, including a magnificent stoppage-time winner as they came from behind to beat relegation-threatened Elche 2-1 over the weekend.
Benzema has been brilliant since returning from injury. He remains Real’s most crucial player and the only one who can consistently score goals. The Frenchman has produced his share of Champions League 2021 highlights with four goals in five appearances, and he will be eager to add to that tally after missing the first leg.
Meanwhile, captain Sergio Ramos played an hour against Elche as he finally returned after two months out due to injury. Despite uncertainty about Ramos’ future in Madrid, his presence at the heart of Real’s defence will be key in helping to preserve their one-goal lead.
Atalanta ready to attack Real
Despite losing at home to Real in the first leg, Atalanta should be relatively pleased with their situation heading into the second leg in Spain. They are only a goal down after Real struggled to break them down even with a man advantage for over two-thirds of the match.
That makes their mission for the second leg simple: win. A 1-0 victory would take the tie to extra-time, while any one-goal win where they score two or more goals would also see them through on away goals.
Remo Freuler’s suspension following his first-leg red card will be a blow, but given their attacking ability, Atalanta should still be confident they can cause Real some problems with 11 men for a full 90 minutes.
La Dea are coming off a 3-1 win over struggling Spezia over the weekend. That was their fifth win in their last six Serie A matches, with their lone defeat coming away to leaders Inter.
Mario Pasalic – who did not start the first leg against Real – bagged a brace against Spezia as he made a strong case to play over Matteo Pessina.
Luis Muriel also scored as he continued his amazing form of late. The Colombian has five goals and five assists over his last nine appearances.
Josip Ilicic started against Spezia, which likely means Duvan Zapata will start alongside his fellow Colombian in Madrid. Meanwhile, Ruslan Malinovskiy is likely to start for the suspended Freuler in midfield.
Atalanta won all three away matches during the Champions League group stage. That includes a famous 2-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield.
History
Recent history will not be on Real’s side. They similarly had a one-goal lead heading into the second leg at home against Ajax. But they suffered a shock 4-1 defeat at the Bernabeu. And last season, they lost both legs to Manchester City 2-1.
As for Atalanta, they must be wary of Real’s ability to score late goals. They famously crashed out of last year’s one-legged quarter-final tie to Paris Saint-Germain, who scored in the 90th minute and stoppage time to steal a spot in the semis.
Betting Tip
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Real Madrid vs Atalanta | 1X2 Real Madrid @ 2.04 |
| March 17, 04:00 (GMT+8) |
SBOTOP odds have Real Madrid installed as 2.04 favourites to win at home, while Atalanta are pegged at 3.30 away. A draw is similarly priced at 3.60.
While Real are clearly underwhelming, especially in attack, it’s hard to see them throwing this tie away at home.
Having both Benzema and Ramos back will be a huge boost considering their importance to the side on either end of the pitch. As dangerous as Atalanta can be in attack, Real should have enough quality and experience to see this tie out.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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