Europa League Round of 16: Sporting vs Atalanta Odds
Group Stage Rematch
Sporting’s Only Home Loss of Season to Atalanta
Sporting CP and Atalanta met twice in Europa League Group D before being paired together in the round of 16. In fact, Atalanta handed Sporting their only home loss of the 2023-24 season, in all competitions. La Dea will be looking for a repeat on Wednesday in the first leg of the round of 16. The sides will also face off next week in Bergamo with a Quarter-Final spot on the line. Ahead of this group stage rematch, let’s take a closer look at the Sporting vs Atalanta odds.
Sporting vs. Atalanta
Date, time:
Location: Estadio Jose Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal
Sporting vs Atalanta Head-to-Head
The Europa League draw also paired Sporting and Atalanta in the group stage. At the Estadio Jose Alvalade in October, Atalanta managed an impressive 2-1 win as Giorgio Scalvini and Matteo Ruggeri got on the scoresheet. The Sporting vs Atalanta odds listed La Dea as +225 road underdogs. The reverse fixture finished 1-1 in Bergamo and Atalanta won the group. Those two meetings were the first since 1988. Atalanta lead the series 3-2 all-time and two games have finished in draws.
Sporting Seeking Revenge
Sporting are no stranger to European tournaments. They’ve appeared in the Champions League or Europa League in each of the last ten seasons. Last season, Sporting knocked out one of the tournament favorites, Arsenal, in penalties in the round of 16 to advance to the Quarter-Final. There, Sporting fell to Juventus 2-1 on aggregate. This Sporting side is dangerous and shouldn’t be discounted.
Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres has been one of the best strikers in Europe this season. He’s found the net 32 times in 35 matches this season, in all competitions. He scored the second goal in Sporting’s 3-2 win over Farense on Sunday and has five goals in the Europa League. To advance to the round of 16, Sporting took down Young Boys 4-2 over two legs. Gyokeres managed to get on the scoresheet in both legs. Sporting are also the current Liga Portugal leaders, with 59 points through 23 matches. They also have a game in hand on all of the teams that could potentially catch them.
The Lisbon side are currently on a nine game unbeaten run and scoring streak, in all competitions. They’ll head into this match seeking revenge for their only home loss of the season so far. Paulinho and Sebastian Coates recently returned from injury but it looks like defender Goncalo Inacio is doubtful for this one. Starting goalkeeper Antonio Adan is also out.
Atalanta Stumble in Serie A Top Four Race
Atalanta had a chance to enter Serie A’s top four on Sunday but they ended up falling 2-1 to Bologna. La Dea took the lead in the first half at home as Ademola Lookman turned in a rebound. However, Atalanta couldn’t seal the deal and conceded a second half penalty, which Joshua Zirkzee converted. Lewis Ferguson also scored for Bologna from outside of the box as the visitors got a sixth straight Serie A victory and stayed in fourth place.
Now, Atalanta are five points outside of the top four and haven’t won any of their last three matches. Granted, those matches have been at Inter and AC Milan and vs. Bologna. Still, they have conceded six goals in their last two matches heading into this one. La Dea have also scored just twice in their last three games. They’re one of Italy’s most dangerous teams when clicking but inconsistency has plagued them.
Currently, the Europa League odds price Atalanta as -145 favorites to qualify for the Quarter-Final but their form is concerning. An advantage Atalanta do have is that Gian Piero Gasperini has a clean bill of health. Lookman made his first start since December on Sunday and managed to grab a goal. When he’s healthy, he’s La Dea’s most dangerous attacker.
Sporting vs Atalanta Match Analysis & Odds
A look at the Sporting vs Atalanta odds shows that the oddsmakers are wary of La Dea’s chances to win in Lisbon twice in one campaign. Currently, Sporting are +115 moneyline favorites for Wednesday’s match. Meanwhile, bettors can take Atalanta at the same +225 odds from October’s victory at the Jose Alvalade. Any result here would be excellent for Atalanta, who will feel confident of being able to win in Bergamo next week.
Bettors can back a draw at +255 odds for the first leg of the round of 16. Sporting pk, -0.5 sits at -120 odds, while Atalanta pk, +0.5 shows -110. If Atalanta fail to win here, it would mark just their second four game winless run of the 2023-24 campaign. We expect a better effort from Atalanta on Wednesday as they pursue their first-ever major trophy.
La Dea did not let Gyokeres score from open play in two group stage meetings and shutting him down will be a focus of their defensive gameplan. Atalanta still need to be aware of Sporting’s weapons like Pedro Goncalves and Marcus Edwards. Both teams scored in both group stage meetings and both over and under 2.5, 3 goals are priced at -115 odds.
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