Atalanta vs Sturm Graz Prediction: La Dea to give themselves a boost

Atalanta will look to rediscover their mojo on Tuesday (17:45, TNT Sports 2) as they welcome Sturm Graz to Gewiss Stadium in the Uefa Champions League. The hosts saw their Serie A title hopes dented at the weekend as they were beaten 3-2 by Napoli on home soil.

La Dea are 13th in the Champions League standings and have tasted defeat just once, while the visitors are 29th, having lost five of their opening six matches. Below you will find my Atalanta vs Sturm Graz prediction, accompanied by the latest match odds and team news.

Atalanta vs Sturm Graz Odds

Atalanta are yet to win a home game in Europe this season, having drawn two and lost one so far. They are 2/11 to win this encounter, which is likely down to who they are playing and the fact that they have lost their five matches to date.

La Dea's last five games at Gewiss Stadium in all competitions have seen both teams score, so Atalanta and BTTS is a much more enticing option at 13/8, which has an implied probability of 38.1%.

Sturm Graz are 14/1 to pull off an upset, but they have lost all their away trips in this competition. The draw can be backed at 6/1 (14.3%), with the hosts having experienced two stalemates in the Champions League at home so far.

Atalanta's Charles De Ketelaere has netted three goals in Europe this term, and he is 21/20 to score anytime on Tuesday.

Football Odds

Team News

The hosts will have Sead Kolasinac available after serving a suspension. They remain without forward Gianluca Scamacca due to an ACL tear, and Odilon Kossounou is also sidelined with an abductor issue.

Juan Cuadrado remains a doubt with a hamstring problem, but Gian Piero Gasperini has enough wing-backs to choose from in David Zappacosta, Raoul Bellanova and Matteo Ruggeri.

Forward Mateo Retegui has hit the ground running since returning from injury with two goals in as many appearances in Serie A. The Italian international also has struck twice in the Champions League, but it is De Ketelaere and Ademola Lookman who lead the way in this competition for La Dea with three goals apiece. Both players were on the scoresheet in the 3-2 defeat to Real Madrid last month.

De Ketalaere has been involved in seven goals in six matches in Europe, so he could be in line to start against Sturm Graz. Lookman looks set to join him up top, while they could be supported by Mario Pasalic. Ederson and Marten de Roon have been key in the middle of the park and that partnership looks set to continue on Tuesday.

The visitors head here much weaker than their last Champions League appearance. Attacker Mika Bierith has left for Monaco, while full-back Jusuf Gazibegovic has made the switch to Koln.

After a month away from competitive action, Sturm Graz stars Amady Camara and Kjell Scherpen have been able to return from injury and receive minutes friendly matches. Seeedy Jatta and Max Johnston are set to miss out again, though.

Atalanta and both teams to score @ 13/8

Five games without a win in all competitions has hugely dented Atalanta's Serie A title hopes, with the biggest blow coming against rivals Napoli last time out, who they now sit seven points behind in the table.

They need to get back into their groove and a way for them to do that is by giving themselves a lift in Europe against a struggling and depleted Sturm Graz side. The Austrian outfit haven't taken a single point on their travels in the Champions League, so Rasperini and his players have a golden opportunity in front of them.

With the attacking quality of De Ketalaere and Lookman, as well as the potential inclusion of Retegui, La Dea should have more than enough firepower to take a giant step closer to qualification, while also instilling some belief in themselves for their domestic title charge.

I've already touched on the fact that this stadium has seen both teams get on the scoresheet in each of the last five contests here, so I think BTTS combined with an Atalanta victory, offers good value for punters.

Ademola Lookman anytime goalscorer @ 5/6

Former Premier League star Lookman has been loving life in Bergamo over the past few years, and he's had a great impact domestically as well as on the European stage.

He was the hat-trick hero in Dublin last year as they defeated Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final, and he has already netted three times in the Champions League this term.

In the defeat to Napoli at the weekend, he netted his 10th league goal of the campaign, so he has now reached double figures in each of the past three seasons in the top flight.

The Nigerian has evolved into a potent finisher, and I expect him to play a key role for Atalanta on Tuesday evening. He comes into this game with some confidence, and I think he can hurt a side that have struggled to put points on the board in this competition.

Offers

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