Real Madrid are looking to keep their Champions League woes aside as they travel to Italy to face Serie A leaders Atalanta in the fifth game of the League Phase.
ATN vs RM Match Details
Date: Tuesday, 10 December 2024 / Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Time: 21:00 (CET), 01:30 (IST)
Venue: Gewiss Stadium, Italy
ATN vs RM Match Preview
Atalanta are operating at a different level this season, winning the Europa League earlier this year and now sitting at the top of Serie A after a 2-1 success over AC Milan this weekend with 34 points earned from 15 games. Gian Piero Gasperini's side were also impressive in the inaugural League Phase of the Champions League, sitting fifth in the table collecting 11 points from five matches in a direct last-16 spot. They are one of the three teams to stay unbeaten in the competition this season, scoring 11 goals and conceding just once remarkably. That came in the 6-1 thumping of Young Boys in Switzerland to add to their handsome wins over Shakhtar Donetsk and Stuttgart with goalless draws against Arsenal and Celtic. La Dea carries an impressive 14-game undefeated streak in all competitions, with the last nine being wins, which they will want to proceed with facing the holders Real Madrid who are in limbo at the moment in Europe. The clash is a repeat of the UEFA Super Cup final where the Italian side lost but they will not be the scenario again enjoying a stellar run and dreaming big this season. A fourth win in the Champions League will help Atalanta climb second on the table and take a step ahead in confirming their place in the knockouts.
Manager Carlo Ancelloti hopes his players take motivation from the Super Cup win over Atalanta to pull Real Madrid out of the misery of losing back-to-back games to AC Milan and Liverpool in the League Phase of the 2024-25 Champions League. Those results and a further loss to Lille have let the holders slip to 24th in the table, the last spot for the Round of 16 playoffs. If Los Blancos don’t improve their form in the remaining games they could miss out on the knockouts of the Champions League which would be a seismic shock for the record holders who have managed to qualify each time in the past 28 occasions. Ancelloti’s men face Salzburg and Brest after taking on Atalanta so they are expected to turn back their form but concerns remain. The team won 3-0 against Girona at the weekend to maintain pressure on their rivals Barcelona at the top and with Vinicius Jr also returning from injury, Real have all the right to believe in changing their fortunes around. Jude Bellingham has also recaptured some of the terrific form he showed last season while Kylian Mbappe want to score in the fixture he made his club debut. Los Blancos are also on an eight-game winning run playing in Italy, a record which will help against a formidable opposition.
ATN vs RM Recent Form (all competitions)
ATN: WWWWW
RM: WLWLW
ATN vs RM Recent Form (Champions League)
ATN: DWDWW
RM: WLWLL
ATN vs RM Predicted Lineups
Atalanta
Carnesecchi; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Bellanova, De Roon, Ederson, Ruggeri; De Ketelaere, Retegui, Lookman
Real Madrid
Courtois; Vazquez, Tchouameni, Rudiger, F Garcia; Valverde, Bellingham, Modric; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr
ATN vs RM Dream11 Top picks
Captain Pick: Jude Bellingham
Vice-captain Picks: Vinicius Jr, Kylian Mbappé, Ademola Lookman
ATN vs RM Dream11 Team Suggestion
GK: Courtois (Cr - 7.5, Pts - 109)
DEF: Kolasinac (Cr - 8.5, Pts - 155), Rüdiger (Cr - 8, Pts - 218), Djimsiti (Cr - 8, Pts - 160)
MID: Valverde (Cr - 8, Pts - 117), Bellingham (Cr - 9, Pts - 156), De Ketelaere (Cr - 8.5), Ederson (Cr - 8, Pts - 828)
FW: Mbappé (Cr - 9, Pts - 167), Lookman (Cr - 9, Pts - 132), Vinicius Jr (Cr - 9, Pts - 293)
Atalanta: 5 players
Real Madrid: 6 Players
Vice-captain: Vinicius Jr
Captain: Jude Bellingham
Atalanta vs Real Madrid Match Prediction
Atalanta and Real Madrid are on different ends of form in the Champions League but both will want to prevent a loss in this blockbuster clash. We predict a thrilling 2-2 draw.
