Club Brugge vs Atalanta Prediction: Visitors to gain the advantage

Club Brugge welcome Atalanta to Jan Breydel Stadium on Wednesday (17:45, TNT Sports 3) for the first leg of their Uefa Champions League play-off tie. Four points separated the two sides in the league phase but now only one of them will progress to the round of 16.

Read on for my Club Brugge vs Atalanta prediction, where you will also find the latest team news and match odds.

Club Brugge vs Atalanta Odds

Club Brugge are 11/4 to take the advantage in this first leg, and they won two of their four home clashes in the previous stage.

Atalanta have drawn two of their previous four fixtures in all competitions and the stalemate is marketed at 12/5, which has an implied probability of 29.4%. The visitors won three of their four away trips in the league phase and they are 21/20 (48.8%) to take a lead back to Bergamo.

The Italian side won two of those away contests without conceding, while at least one team failed to score in three of the hosts' European matches at Jan Breydel Stadium. BTTS No is on offer at 11/10.

Football Odds

Team News

The hosts have a clean bill of health coming into this crunch clash on home turf, so boss Nicky Hayen can name his strongest XI to face the 2024 Europa League champions.

Former Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet will operate in between the sticks for Blauw-Zwart. He will be shielded by a defence including the impressive Maxim De Cuyper, who is being tracked by various clubs across Europe, and 20-year-old Joel Ordonez.

The Colombian has played every minute in the Champions League this term and is the youngest to do so. Only Charles De Ketelaere, who is expected to line up for the opposition, has played more minutes for the Belgian club in this competition while under the age of 21.

De Ketelaere is Atalanta's joint-top scorer in the Champions League this season with four goals, alongside Ademola Lookman, and he is set for an emotional return to the club he joined at the age of seven. The Belgian has also been on hand to provide five assists for his teammates, so he has been performing brilliantly on this stage.

Odilon Kossounou is another visiting player who used to play for the hosts (2019-21) but he is out injured for this clash. La Dea's treatment room also includes Gianluca Scamacca and Giorgio Scalvini, who are both unlikely to feature for the remainder of the season.

Sead Kolasinac, first-choice goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi and last year's hat-trick hero in the Europa League final, Lookman, are also missing the trip to Bruges.

Atalanta to win @ 21/20

Club Brugge have done very well in Europe this term and they have tussled with some very good teams in the process. I must admit I was skeptical with this selection seeing as the hosts are currently 13 games unbeaten at home in all competitions.

It is largely down to the attacking quality that Atalanta possess that I believe they can bring this run to an end. Only Barcelona (28) and Borussia Dortmund (22) scored more than La Dea's 20 in the league phase.

That talent the visitors possess will present Blauw-Zwart with one of their toughest challenges of the campaign. I think they will put up a hell of a fight on home soil, but I am expecting Atalanta's star players to rise to the occasion and help deliver them an advantage ahead of the second leg in Bergamo.

Gli Orobici have also shown their brilliance defensively when taking a lead, with two of their away wins in Europe also including clean sheets. I think we could see something similar unfold in Belgium.

Mateo Retegui anytime goalscorer @ 6/4

Striker Mateo Retegui is arguably Atalanta's star man, but he hasn't acquired that badge in the Champions League so far, as that goes to De Ketelaere. I did consider tipping the former Club Brugge man to come back and haunt his old side, but I feel like Retegui is ready to take a lead in this competition.

The Italian international only has one less goal in Europe this season than his Belgian teammate, though, and he could well level up on Wednesday evening.

Retegui travels here in high spirits after bagging four goals in the 5-0 routing of Hellas Verona away from home in Serie A on Saturday, so I believe that form can translate into this crunch European clash.

Offers

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