Atalanta vs Sporting prediction and betting tips on March 14, 2024
One of the return matches in the Europa League Round of 16 will be played in Bergamo, where the local Atalanta will host Lisbon's Sporting at the "Atleti Azzurri d'Italia" stadium. In the first leg, the "Lions" couldn't determine the stronger side and played to a 1-1 draw. Here's the match prediction from Dailysports experts.
Atalanta
The "Goddess" won their group and avoided unnecessary matches in the previous stage. It must be acknowledged that Gian Piero Gasperini's team is far from the level of play they demonstrated in the fall. At present, Atalanta is struggling, and the current results clearly reflect this. On the other hand, perhaps one should take into account the level of the opponents. Just think about it! For instance, over the weekend, Atalanta played to a draw away against Juventus – 2-2. Prior to that, there were defeats at home to Bologna (1-2) and away to Inter (0-4), as well as a draw away against Milan (1-1). They are one of the representatives of the top four in the current Serie A campaign! At the moment, Atalanta sits in sixth place, trailing the top four by four points.
Sporting
The Lisbon club faced Atalanta in the group stage and conceded the top spot to the "Goddess" after losing the home match. They had to play additional playoff matches against Swiss side Young Boys. The first leg away ended with a convincing victory for the "White and Greens" with a scoreline of 3-1, but they failed to win the home match against the "Lions" – 1-1. In the Portuguese league, Ruben Amorim's team leads, ahead of neighbors Benfica by just one point. Heading into the return leg against Atalanta, the Lisbon side comes off an away victory in the Portuguese league against Arouca with a scoreline of 3-0. This victory extended Sporting's unbeaten streak in all competitions to 11 matches.
Interesting facts about the match and personal encounters
- The group stage match in Bergamo ended in a 1-1 draw.
- In the first leg of the playoffs, Atalanta looked better. Based on expected goals, the visitors outperformed the hosts with 1.13 against 0.20.
- The "Goddess" had 14 shots on goal compared to Sporting's 4, and also had six more corner kicks (10:4).
Atalanta vs Sporting Prediction
The Italians looked more interesting in the first leg and perhaps they should be the ones to progress further. Our bet for this match is "Both Teams to Score" with odds of 1.66.
