Champions League: Lazio vs Atletico Madrid Odds
First UCL Meeting Between the Sides
Lazio Host Atletico Madrid in Rome
Lazio and Atletico Madrid have both frequently appeared in the UEFA Champions League. However, as the UCL kicks off, the sides will meet for the first time in the competition on Tuesday. Over the weekend, both teams lost in their respective domestic leagues. So, both Lazio and Atletico will be looking to bounce back and kick off their Champions League campaigns with all three points. Ahead of the matchup, we’ll run through the Lazio vs Atletico Madrid odds and preview the match.
Lazio vs Atletico Madrid
Date, time:
Stadium: Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy
Head-to-Head
Atletico Madrid and Lazio have played four previous times in UEFA competitions. However, this is the first-ever meeting between the two sides on the UCL schedule. Back in 2012, these teams met in the Europa League round of 32. Eventual champions Atletico Madrid picked up 1-0 and 3-1 wins to advance to the round of 16. In the 1998 UEFA Cup semifinals, Lazio shut out Atleti over two legs, with a 1-0 win and scoreless draw.
Lazio Out of Sorts
Lazio dropped to 1-3 in Serie A with a 3-1 loss at Juventus on Saturday. The Biancocelesti had some good passages of play in the match, but it didn’t exactly show up on the scoresheet. However, Luis Alberto did get on the scoresheet for a second straight match.
Maurizio Sarri’s side has conceded in every match they’ve played this season. However, they are the only team to defeat defending Serie A champions Napoli this season so far. The Biancocelesti are also unbeaten in their last six group-stage UCL games.
They were last in the competition in 2020-21 and finished with a 2-4-0 record in the group stage. In the round of 16, Lazio fell 6-2 to Bayern Munich on aggregate. Alberto and Ciro Immobile are two notable holdovers from that Lazio side. Immobile scored five times in five starts in 2020-21, but he hasn’t scored since Lazio’s season opener.
The Biancocelesti seem to be missing former key midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. Sarri and Lazio hope Daichi Kamada will fill his shoes, and he did score in the win vs. Napoli. Still, Lazio haven’t exactly found their footing yet this season.
Shorthanded Atletico Limp into UCL
After Saturday’s match, Atletico Madrid received bad news as midfielder Thomas Lemar is set to miss months with a ruptured achilles. He joins a long list of Atletico players who figure to be on the sidelines for Tuesday’s match. Los Colchoneros’ midfield is severely shorthanded as Koke and Rodrigo de Paul are also nursing injuries. De Paul could be back for the Madrid Derby this weekend but will most likely miss the match vs. Lazio.
Reinildo and Caglar Soyuncu will be out on Tuesday, while Memphis Depay is a major doubt. Atletico are in a tough spot, and the injury issues certainly hurt them over the weekend. They went on the road to Valencia last Saturday and fell 3-0 as Hugo Duro scored a brace for the hosts.
The result was still disappointing, as Atletico Madrid had won their last match before the international break 7-0. Even with all of the injuries, the Lazio vs Atletico Madrid odds price visiting Atletico as favorites for the match.
In last season’s Champions League, Atletico Madrid finished in last place in their group for the first time ever. No Atleti player had more than one goal in last season’s Champions League stats. On Tuesday, expect Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata to be Atletico Madrid’s biggest goal threats.
Match Analysis & Odds
Lazio have finished in last place in their group in three of their previous four appearances in the Champions League. In a group with Atletico Madrid, Feyenoord and Celtic, Lazio have more than a decent shot of making it through to the round of 16. However, the odds of the Lazio vs Atletico Madrid price the Biancocelesti as +185 underdogs. Lazio pk is also priced at +105 odds.
Despite all of the injuries, Atletico Madrid are +145 favorites, and Atletico pk comes in at -125 odds. Bettors shouldn’t necessarily expect this to be a fast-paced game, and the over/under goal total certainly reflects that.
Over 2, 2.5 goals do come in at -115 odds, though. Atletico Madrid typically play with five at the back and Diego Simeone’s style is often perceived as defensive. A draw certainly isn’t remotely out of the question here, and one sits at +240 odds. After both teams lost last weekend, expect each side to be motivated for this Champions League opener.
