When will Atalanta start winning?
Ivan Juric’s team should prepare themselves for an intense evening. In our Atalanta Bergamo vs. Slavia Prague tip, we take a closer look at the visitors’ defensive approach and examine their ideas under the microscope.
Suffice it to say that, much like Atalanta in Gasperini’s heyday, the Cervenobili like to chase their opponents across the field and seek out direct duels. As underdogs, the visitors are looking for their first win of the current Champions League season in the Atalanta Bergamo vs. Slavia Prague prediction.
La Dea achieved this on the last matchday in the Champions League, celebrating a 2-1 victory over Bruges. Juric’s team needed two set pieces to score their two goals, but that doesn’t bother us much in our analysis of the Atalanta Bergamo vs. Slavia Prague betting odds.
At the national level, the Black and Blues are selling themselves quite expensively, are the only team still undefeated, but have also won only two of seven games in Serie A. The Nerazzurri have ended five of their seven appearances in Italy’s top flight with a point.
If the hosts don’t improve their finishing in the duel with the Czech representatives, Jindrich Trpisovsky and his protégés could perhaps even spring a surprise. However, we don’t want to go that far with our prediction.
We can definitely imagine the visitors scoring a goal. Seven of Atalanta’s nine opponents so far have scored against Juric’s team.
Atalanta Bergamo vs. Slavia Prague Prediction AI
If we follow the AI’s advice, we will stick to the idea of a match combination after registering with Bet365 and bet on “Atalanta Bergamo to win & both teams to score.” The scenario is quite obviously similar to La Dea’s last Champions League match (2-1 win vs. Bruges).
Atalanta Bergamo – Statistics & current form
Ivan Juric has taken on a difficult legacy, taking over from Gian Piero Gasperini. So far, the 50-year-old has only experienced one Atalanta defeat from the sidelines – the 4-0 loss on the first Champions League matchday against the defending champions from Paris.
However, La Dea has only managed to win three of its eight other matches. The remaining five games – all in the Italian top flight – ended in draws. As a rule (7/9), Juric’s team does not leave the field without scoring at least one goal.
In return, the Bergamaschi have conceded at least one goal in 66 percent of their competitive games this season (6/9). Two goals scored after two CL games is a little too few in view of the 3.51 expected goals. In addition, the home side averages promising positions (0.13 xG/shot).
Almost only close games for Atalanta
Like Slavia Prague, the Black and Blues have already conceded five goals in two Champions League games. The position of the opponents’ finishing positions is particularly critical. On average, Atalanta conceded 0.15 expected goals per Champions League game.
Although this is better than Slavia Prague’s record (0.20 xG/shot), it is only enough for a place in the bottom third of all Champions League participants. This cannot be the ambition for the Italian representative. This may be due to the tactical change under the new coach, who, compared to his predecessor, focuses less on direct duels and man-marking.
This process takes time and means that the Bergamaschi currently have to maneuver their way through many tricky pairings. Therefore, we cannot rule out the possibility that the hosts will miss out on a victory for the second time on the third matchday of the Champions League.
Slavia Prague – Statistics & current form
The visitors from Czechia are not afraid of big names and outstanding players. Coach Jindrich Trpisovsky has been practically part of the Cervenobili inventory since the beginning of 2018, as has his aggressive style of defense – no matter who the opponent is.
Among all participants in this year’s Champions League group stage, only five teams have conceded fewer passes per defensive action than Slavia Prague (10.2). Slavia Prague’s intense defensive style often allows them to cover short distances to the opponent’s goal after winning the ball.
No other CL participant this season has a higher rate of high ball wins ending in a shot than the Czech representative (45.45 percent). They have also already scored a goal from such a situation – on the first matchday in a 2-2 draw against Bodø/Glimt.
Risks against top teams
On good days, the Red and Whites can also force a tricky match against top European teams. Trpisovsky’s players defend man-to-man across the entire field, sometimes chasing their direct opponents across different zones.
This is evidenced by the third-highest number of tackles of all CL participants. However, if the players don’t get into the challenges quickly enough, they are outplayed by technically skilled teams. Inter Milan, among others, succeeded in doing this on matchday two (3-0), when they mercilessly attacked the large gaps between the individual players.
We expect a direct comparison between Atalanta and Slavia Prague to produce a number of goal-scoring opportunities, aided by the visitors’ pressing identity. In addition, La Dea (29) and the Cervenobili (32) have each already conceded a lot of shots on their own goal in just two matches.
Atalanta Bergamo – Slavia Prague Head-to-head record
There have been no direct duels in the run-up to this match. However, from the last encounters between the two teams, we know about the fluctuating form of both clubs. Both the Italian hosts and the Czech champions have won only two of their last six competitive games.
Atalanta Bergamo – Slavia Prague Tip
It is appropriate to put the home team in the role of favorites. However, you should not equate this with three points in the bag. Slavia Prague plays uncompromising man-to-man marking right up to the opponent’s penalty area and can conjure up unsettling matchups.
In addition, both teams have scored at least one goal in three of Atalanta’s last four games – a characteristic of the Italian hosts’ current encounters. Furthermore, center forward Tomas Chory is difficult to take out of the game.
Both teams will have their chances to score in Bergamo – the better finishing rate could then decide victory or defeat. The form curves of both teams are similar, but we still see the higher individual quality in Ivan Juric’s team. That is precisely why the betting odds for a home win between Atalanta Bergamo and Slavia Prague play a greater role in our considerations.
