By Atalanta resume their quest for qualification to the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League knockout stages by taking on Danish side Midtjylland at the Gewiss Stadium on Tuesday.
The Bergamo entertainers are level on seven points with Ajax in third place in Group D, and consider this a must win, especially with Midtjylland out of the equation on zero points.
Liverpool lead the way with nine points and are certainly catchable in a closely-fought group.
Atalanta come into this game on the back of two surprising results. They first defeated Liverpool 2-0 at Anfield, with Josip Ilicic and Robin Gosens finding the net for La Dea.
A shock defeat at home to Hellas Verona followed, with Verona good value for their own 2-0 win, even if Atalanta had their fair share of chances.
2 goals and 3 points for @HellasVeronaFC in the match against @Atalanta_BC! ⁰#AtalantaVerona #SerieATIM #WeAreCalcio pic.twitter.com/pfLyf8QCvU
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) November 28, 2020
Midtjylland have found the standards of the UEFA Champions League tough to deal with in their first crack at it, with their quality deficit on full display as Ajax hammered them 3-1 at the Johan Cruijff ArenA.
Back home on Danish soil though, Midtjylland underscored their title credentials with a 0-0 draw at home to Aalborg.
Det slutter uforløst.#FCMAaB | #sldk pic.twitter.com/uirR32Mtfp
— FC Midtjylland (@fcmidtjylland) November 28, 2020
Advertisement
Atalanta vs Midtjylland Head-to-Head
The previous group stage game between the two teams was the first time they had met, with Atalanta running out comfortable 4-0 winners in Denmark. It was catharsis for Atalanta, who endured a traumatic UEFA Europa League playoff loss against Copenhagen on penalties in their last visit to Denmark in 2018.
Midtjylland’s last visit to Italy ended in tears. Napoli hammered Midtjylland 5-0 in a UEFA Europa League match after having defeated them 4-1 in Denmark.
Atalanta form guide: L-D-D-W-L
Midtjylland form guide: W-W-W-L-D
Atalanta vs Midtjylland Team News
Atalanta
Testa alla prossima, sempre con voi ⚫️?
Focus on the next one, always by your side ?
⠀#GoAtalantaGo pic.twitter.com/pMBU4vB5Cq
— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) November 29, 2020
Gian Piero Gasparini is still without Ruslan Malinovski and Aleksei Miranchuk due to the coronavirus, with the pair yet to return a negative test.
Robin Gosens missed the game against Verona with a minor injury and faces a late fitness test. Mattia Caldara is definitely out, with goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini also out after picking up an injury against Verona.
Injuries: Mattia Caldara
COVID-19: Ruslan Malinovski, Aleksei Miranchuk
Doubtful: Robin Gosens
Suspensions: None
Midtjylland
“Det er ganske klart. Vi vil gerne overvintre på førstepladsen” – ? @eriksviat
Anføreren efter dagens uafgjorte resultat mod AaB ?#FCMAaB | #sldk pic.twitter.com/bMHmDUcVjW
— FC Midtjylland (@fcmidtjylland) November 28, 2020
Advertisement
Brian Priske will be unable to call upon captain Erik Sviatchenko, after the centre-back’s late red card against Ajax in the previous round. Midfielders Evander and Jens Cajuste are also unavailable due to the coronavirus.
Manjrekar James is expected to replace Sviatchenko at the back, while Awer Mabil may yield to Mikael Anderson as Priske switches to a 4-3-3.
Injuries: None
COVID-19: Evander, Jens Cajuste
Doubtful: None
Suspensions: Erik Sviatchenko
Atalanta vs Midtjylland Predicted Lineups
Atalanta Predicted XI (3-4-1-2): Marco Sportiello (GK); Jose Luis Palomino, Cristian Romero, Rafael Toloi; Hans Hateboer, Matteo Pessina, Martin de Roon, Johan Mojica; Alejandro Gomez; Josip Ilicic, Luis Muriel
Midtjylland Predicted XI (4-3-3): Jesper Hansen (GK); Dion Cools, Manjrekar James, Alexander Scholz, Paulinho; Mikael Anderson, Nicolas Madsen, Frank Onyeka; Anders Dreyer, Sory Kaba, Pione Sisto
Atalanta vs Midtjylland Prediction
Midtjylland’s loss to Ajax confirmed they’d finish fourth. Without the motivation of an UEFA Europa League spot to fight for, this result is probably a foregone conclusion.
Atalanta did look quite leggy against Hellas Verona, and a long trip to Denmark is hardly the ideal situation. However, La Dea simply have too much attacking potential for Midtjylland to deal with – and the likes of Papu Gomez and Josip Ilicic should make merry.
Prediction: Atalanta 4-1 Midtjylland
