A thrilling encounter is expected between RB Leipzig and hosts Atalanta in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League quarter-final tie. Driven by the exciting Christopher Nkunku, Leipzig have looked imperious and will be confident a securing an advantage on Thursday.
RB Leipzig reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League after seeing off Spanish side Real Sociedad 5-3 on aggregate. They played out a 2-2 draw in the first leg at home before travelling to Sociedad for a 3-1 victory in the reverse fixture.
The Germans warmed up for Thursday’s clash with an impressive 4-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga. That result means Domenico Tedesco’s men are now unbeaten in their last 15 matches across all competitions, claiming 11 wins in that run.
One of the reasons for Leipzig’s fine showings is their multiple attacking threat with Christopher Nkunku one of 15 different goal scorers this season. Konrad Laimer and Dani Olmo were also among the goals at Dortmund and alongside striker Andre Silva should cause Atalanta plenty of problems.
Atalanta’s path to the quarter-finals was a bit more straightforward as they did the double over another German side Bayer Leverkusen. Gian Piero Gasperini’s men won 3-2 at home before claiming a 1-0 victory in the return fixture in Germany.
The Italians have looked much better since dropping into the Europa League and have won all four of their knockout stage matches. They are also unbeaten in four of their last five matches across all competitions, claiming three wins in that run.
However, Atalanta did not have the best warm up for the trip to Germany as they suffered a 3-1 home defeat to Napoli in Serie A last Sunday. They were constantly stretched by the pace and movement of the Napoli attack which is something that Leipzig have perfected lately.
How the bookies view it
RB Leipzig have the upper hand among the bookies with a home win priced at 4/5 by SBK. A victory for Atalanta is valued at 7/2 by bet365 while Unibet is offering odds of 29/10 for a draw.
Head to head
This will be the first ever meeting between RB Leipzig and Atalanta.
Players to watch
While RB Leipzig boast multiple attacking threat, Christopher Nkunku has been the most consistent of the lot. The French forward has seven goals in his last eight matches for Leipzig and is priced at 32/19 by SBK to get on the score sheet on Thursday.
Atalanta also have enough quality to hold their own in attack with Luis Muriel expected to lead the line on Thursday. The striker scored twice against Real Sociedad in the previous round and is priced at 5/2 by Betfred to once again find the net.
Anything else catch the eye?
RB Leipzig and Atalanta both like to play on the front foot and with the Germans seeing over 3.5 goals in two of their last three matches, a repeat could be considered at 15/8 with Unibet. Leipzig have scored in both halves in two of their last three matches and could be set for a repeat at 6/4 with Paddy Power.
Both teams often make fast starts and could be backed to score in the first half at 3/1 with BoyleSports.
This UEFA Europa League match between RB Leipzig and Atalanta will be played on Apr 7, 2022 and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best RB Leipzig vs Atalanta prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
