Atalanta BC - Sporting CP predictions and free betting tips [14/03/2024]

On Thursday, 14 March, as part of the second leg of the Europa League round of 16, Atalanta will host Sporting on their home ground. After the draw of 1:1 in the José Alvalade last week, both teams stand a decent chance of advancing to the next round.

Predicted Line-ups

Atalanta: Musso; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Holm, Ederson, De Roon, Ruggeri; Koopmeiners; Lookman, Scamacca.
Sporting: Israel; Quaresma, Coates, Diomande; Catamo, Hjulmand, Morita, Reis; Trincao, Gyokeres, Goncalves.

Stadium

The match will be held in Bergamo at the Atleti Azzurri Stadium.

Atalanta

Atalanta took away a tie from Lisbon, although they could've bagged a win: La Dea created more dangerous moments on the opponents' side but fell short in terms of realization. Paulinho scored on the 17th minute, with Gianluca Scamacca equalising the score 20 minutes later. Gian Piero Gasperini’s charges directly advanced to the Europa League round of 16 by topping their autumn group, which also included Sturm, Raków, and Sporting (4 wins and 2 draws in six rounds).

On the domestic front, the Bergamaski battle for a Euro Cup zone: after an 8-match unbeaten streak, the blue-and-whites suffered back-to-back losses against Internazionale (4:0) and Bologna (1:2). However, last weekend the team salvaged a draw from Turin against Juventus (2:2) courtesy of Koopmeiners' brace. Thus, the hosts haven't tasted victory in their last five encounters in all tournaments, conceding at least one goal in each. 

Sporting

Last week's draw for Sporting is far from the worst outcome, given the pressure imposed by Atalanta on the Lions' goal (1:1). Having faced little trouble with Sturm and Raków in the group stage, the visitors effortlessly claimed the 2nd spot in group D (after Atalanta), and then with some difficulty edged past Young Boys in the play-off (2:1 on aggregate). In the domestic championship, the Green-Whites are contending for the title with Benfica: Ruben Amorim's charges lead the standings by a mere one-point margin over their bitter rivals.

Worth noting is that the capital-side team hasn't suffered a single loss in their last 11 games in all tournaments and just last weekend brought down Arouca by a scoreline of 0:3. Interestingly, Sporting has been on a 17-match winless streak against Italian clubs during which they suffered a dozen losses. The Lisbon side has been performing quite well away from home, notching up four victories in their previous five matches, and only letting in 4 goals. 

Head-to-head

Aside from last week's match, the teams faced each other last autumn in the group stage of the Europa League — Bergamo-based side never suffered a defeat (1:2 and 1:1).

Match Prediction: Atalanta vs Sporting

La Dea has been without a win for five consecutive matches in all tournaments during which they suffered two losses—it's apparent that the Bergamaski are not in their best form. Sporting, on the contrary, are churning out victories in their domestic championship and boast a luxurious attacking line. I get the impression that bookmakers overestimate the hosts' chances—I'm placing my bet on a double outcome favouring Amorim's charges.

Total Prediction

Gyokeres and Gonzalves form a splendid partnership on the frontline of Lisbon's side: the visitors have been consistently scoring in their last 11 matches in all tournaments. I'm betting on Sporting's individual total over 1 goal.

Corner Prediction

Both teams practice an attacking style of football and often engage their flanks—it's reasonable to bet on the total corners over 9.5.

Yellow Card Prediction

In all three head-to-head encounters of these teams this season, the referee has shown at least 4 yellow cards—that will be the case this time around as well.

Score Prediction

I predict a precise score of 1:2 in favour of Sporting.