Atalanta will host Borussia Dortmund at the Gewiss Stadium on Wednesday, hoping to book a spot in the UEFA Champions League round of 16.
The two teams met last week in the first leg, and the German club won 2-0 at home. Borussia Dortmund will now look to get the job done away from home in the return leg vs Atalanta on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Italian outfit needs to overturn the two-goal deficit if they want to reach the knockout rounds of the UEFA Champions League. This will be a tough outing for them. Overturning a two-goal deficit will not be easy. It remains to be seen whether the Italian outfit can produce a strong performance at home and turn things around.
Both teams are evenly matched, and this is likely to be a cracking contest. It might be difficult to separate the two teams in the end.
Team News & Tactics
Atalanta
Charles De Ketelaere is out with a meniscus injury, and Giacomo Raspadori is sidelined by a muscle strain.
Atalanta will shape up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Marco Carnesecchi in goal.
Giorgio Scalvini, Isak Hien and Sead Kolasinac will start in central defence. Raoul Bellanova and Davide Zappacosta will add width, running, and crossing from the wing-back roles.
Ederson and Pašalić will add control and protect against counters. Nicola Zalewski and Kamaldeen Sulemana will add creativity from the attacking midfield role behind Nikola Krstović.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi; Scalvini, Hien, Kolasinac; Bellanova, Ederson, Pasalic, Zappacosta; Zalewski, Sulemana; Krostovic
Borussia Dortmund
The away team will be without Emre Can, Niklas Sule and Nico Schlotterbeck due to injuries. Borussia Dortmund will shape up in a 3-4-1-2 formation, with Gregor Kobel in goal.
In the back three, Waldemar Anton will start alongside Luca Reggiani and Ramy Bensebaini. Julian Ryerson and Daniel Svensson will start as the wing-backs. They will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch.
As for the midfield unit, Marcel Sabitzer will start alongside Felix Nmecha, looking to add control and defensive cover to the side. Maximilian Beier will start in the attacking midfield role and look to create opportunities for his teammates in the final third.
Karim Adeyemi will lead the line for Borussia Dortmund alongside Serhou Guirassy.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Kobel; Anton, Reggiani, Bensebaini; Ryerson, Sabitzer, Nmecha, Svensson, Beier; Adeyemi, Guirassy
Key Stats
- Atalanta are unbeaten in five of their last six matches across all competitions.
- Dortmund are without a defeat in five of the last six matches in all competitions
- 10 goals have been scored in the last four matches between these two teams.
- Dortmund are unbeaten in three of their last four meetings against the Italian outfit.
Player to watch out for
Serhou Guirassy
The Borussia Dortmund striker is in fine form right now, and he is our key player to watch out for. He will look to find the back of the net here and make a defining impact in the final third. The German club is already coming into this game with a healthy lead, and another goal from their star striker here could more or less wrap up the tie for them.
His finishing prowess and movement could cause all sorts of problems for the Italian outfit. It will be interesting to see if they can contain him. The German outfit will certainly hope that he can help them progress through to the next round.
Prediction
Atalanta 1-1 Borussia Dortmund
Both teams will be fighting for a positive result here, and this is likely to be a close contest. Neither side is likely to sit back and defend. This is going to be an open game with plenty of chances on offer. Both teams are likely to get on the score sheet, but they will end up cancelling each other out. They are likely to share the spoils in a draw.
Dortmund are likely to progress through to the next round of the competition on the back of their impressive performance in the first leg.
