Atalanta vs Chelsea Prediction: Blues to solidify spot in top eight

Atalanta and Chelsea face off on matchday six of this season's Uefa Champions League on Tuesday night (20:00 GMT, live on TNT Sports 2) and both sides have identical records heading into this contest (W3 D1 L1).
The hosts have lost only one of their last nine Uefa club competition group stage or league phase matches at home, while the Blues have 13 wins from their last 15 European group stage or league phase matches. Read on for my Atalanta vs Chelsea predictions, as well as the latest team news and match odds.
Atalanta vs Chelsea Betting Tips
*odds correct at time of publication
Team News
Mitchel Bakker and Kamaldeen Sulemana are unavailable for the hosts this week, while ex-Chelsea defender Davide Zappacosta may also miss out with a reunion with his former club.
Chelsea can welcome back Moises Caicedo to the squad, as the Ecuadorian midfielder is currently absent from Premier League action due to suspension.
Liam Delap sustained a serious shoulder injury in the game against Bournemouth at the weekend, joining the likes Romeo Lavia, Levi Colwill, Dario Essugo and Mykhaylo Mudryk on the absentee list.
Atalanta vs Chelsea Predicted Lineups
- Atalanta: Carnesecchi; Kossounou, Hien, Djimsiti; Bellanova, De Roon, Ederson, Zalewski; De Ketelaere, Lookman; Scamacca
- Chelsea: Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Estevao, Palmer, Garnacho; Neto
The hosts are 9/4, with the draw 5/2 and Chelsea are 21/20, giving them an implied win probability of 48.8%.
Both teams to score can be backed at 4/7, while Cole Palmer is currently favourite to score anytime at 13/8.
Atalanta vs Chelsea Stats
- Both sides have identical league phase records heading into Tuesday's match
- Chelsea are winless in their last three in the Premier League
- Atalanta's 3-1 defeat to Verona at the weekend halted a three-game winning run across all competitions
Chelsea to win @ 21/20
Chelsea have won three of their five league phase matches so far, and I believe they should come out on top in Tuesday's encounter with Atalanta.
Their domestic form has taken a hit in recent weeks, with a defeat to Leeds United followed by a draw against Bournemouth at the weekend, but the Blues have more than enough firepower to get back on track here and keep their place in the top eight.
Their European results have been encouraging - with the 3-0 win over Barcelona the standout result - although their away form could be a cause for concern, with a 3-1 defeat at Bayern Munich followed by an unexpected 2-2 draw at Qarabag.
Atalanta suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Atalanta at the weekend, so they'll be looking to bounce back here, but Chelsea's strength in depth should see them through.
Odds correct at time of publishing.
Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals @ 10/11
Perhaps not the best bet in terms of value, but it feels like a sensible play to me.
Chelsea have scored 12 goals across five Champions League matches, recording 70 attempts on goal, with 26 of those on target, suggesting that Enzo Maresca's men know how to carve out opportunities. Atalanta have only scored six times across their five league phase fixtures, but 78 shots implies that they are heavily involved in the final third.
Both teams have scored in each of Chelsea's last two matches, and the same can be said for Atalanta's most recent outing against Verona. Over 2.5 goals has been a winning play in five of the host's last six contests, while the same bet has landed in four of the visitors' last seven fixtures across all competitions.
Odds correct at time of publishing.
Offers
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