The new year started much worse than Atalanta probably wanted. It's a good thing they had success in the early rounds of the Champions League because their current form will likely make the remaining games harder to win.
The negative truth is that Atalanta have yet to win in the new year, even though they've already played three rounds in the Italian Serie A, plus a cup game. The fact is, however, that their last few clashes have been against three of the main contenders in Italy.
Atalanta played Inter, Napoli and Juventus, and their only easier game was against Udinese, although they failed to win again. La Dea will rely on their overall strong home form to guarantee themselves a place in the next stage of the tournament.
On the other side, Sturm Graz have been on holiday for over a month, but they are far from spending their time vacationing. The Austrian Bundesliga is on winter break, which means the visitors haven't played an official game since the beginning of December. However, they have played four friendlies in the last 10 days, which has some significance.
Unfortunately, their chances of qualifying for the next round of the CL are minimal or even impossible. They need two outright wins and a lot of luck that their direct opponents don't win any of their games. Unfortunately, their road in the tournament will probably end soon.
How the bookies view it: Too one-sided, no value
Bookmakers have absolutely no faith in the visitors, even though the hosts are in terrible form. Their advantage is measured in the minimum odds of 3/20, while the visitors are available at 12/1. A draw remains a possible option as you can pick this market at 13/2.
Recent head-to-head: They met last season too
The teams met just over a year ago, during the Europa League group stage last season. At the moment, Atalanta have no defeats against Sturm Graz yet, after the first clash ended in a 2-2 draw, and Atalanta won the return leg in Italy (1-0).
Players to watch: The usual suspects
Atalanta’s form dipped significantly but their star strikers should be able to find the net against Sturm Graz. La Dea will rely on Ademola Lookman and Mateo Retegui to make the difference once again. The Nigerian already scored three goals in the Champions League, while the young Italian has 2.
Probable line-ups
Atalanta: Carnesecchi, Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac, Bellanova, De Roon, Ederson, Zappacosta, De Ketelaere, Lookman, Retegui
Sturm Graz: Scherpen, Geyrhofer, Aiwu, Wuthrich, Lavalee, Chukwuani, Yalcouye, Stankovic, Kiteishvili, Boving, Jatta
Anything else catch the eye?
Atalanta definitely had one of the tougher schedules in the Champions League, having to play against Real Madrid and Arsenal. La Dea managed to get through the first five rounds without a loss, but the poor result against Real dropped them down the table.
As a matter of fact, the Italians are still without a win at home, although they are particularly strong hosts in the domestic league. We may see goals in both ends, though we certainly wouldn't have expected the same a month ago for example. The home team's form is just pretty poor and their betting advantage is definitely not justified.
It might even be worth a trial bet in favour of the visitors because the payouts will be huge. However, we will limit ourselves to BTTS because Atalanta are playing quite poorly in defence at the moment, and Sturm Graz will be fully rested and ready for war.
This UEFA Champions League match between Atalanta and will be played on Jan 21, 2025 and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best Atalanta vs prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
