Yahoo Sports UEFA Champions League Preview: Stuttgart vs Atalanta
Fresh off a stunning 3-0 win at Serie A pacesetters Napoli, Atalanta resume their unbeaten UEFA Champions League campaign against Stuttgart on Wednesday. Brimming with confidence after another spectacular league triumph, Gian Piero Gasperini’s men head to the MHPArena to take on last season’s Bundesliga runners-up.
Atalanta swept Napoli aside at Stadio Diego Maradona on Sunday early afternoon. Ademola Lookman’s first-half brace set the tone for a remarkable triumph in Naples before Mateo Retegui scored off the bench to seal the deal in second-half stoppages.
It was Retegui’s 11th goal in Serie A this season, extending his lead in the Capocannoniere race to four on second-place Marcus Thuram of Inter. More importantly, Atalanta whittled down the gap on table-topping Napoli to only three points. La Dea pulled off their second consecutive away league triumph against the Partenopei for the first time since 1997.
Following their confidence-boosting victory, Atalanta’s fans have plenty to celebrate, both on and off the field. Alongside their unbeaten streak in Europe, fans looking for some additional thrills can explore a range of live casino games at CasinoDays, adding to the excitement of their team’s stellar form.
Gasperini’s men kicked off the Champions League’s newly formatted league phase with a spirited 0-0 draw against Arsenal. However, the same scoreline held them winless against Celtic last time out, even though Atalanta generated an eye-catching xG of 2.38 goals. Sandwiched in between was a 3-0 romping of Shakhtar Donetsk.
Must-Win Affair
Atalanta finished round three as one of only five teams yet to concede a goal in this season’s Champions League. However, wasteful finishing cost them dearly against Arsenal and Celtic. Retegui spurned a penalty against the Gunners, while Kasper Schmeichel delivered a match-winning performance to save the Hoops.
As a result, Atalanta enter Gameweek 4 two points adrift of the automatic qualification spots, highlighting the significance of defying their indifferent European record against German clubs. Indeed, the Italian giants have blown hot and cold across their nine historic matches against Bundesliga opponents (W4, D3, L2).
However, they won the most recent such fixture. Lookman’s hat-trick propelled Atalanta to an unprecedented Europa League win against Bayer Leverkusen in last season’s grand final. It was only their third clean sheet in nine encounters against German sides, suggesting a win, despite a purple patch, isn’t a foregone conclusion.
Since Celtic miraculously held Atalanta at bay, Gasperini’s charges have won three consecutive Serie A games by an aggregate score of 11-1, overcoming Napoli, Monza, and Hellas Verona. Given their perennial defensive struggles against the Germans, another free-firing performance would be a welcome boost.
Formidable Opposition
After going winless in their opening two Champions League outings against Real Madrid (1-3) and Sparta Prague (1-1), Stuttgart stunned Juventus 1-0 in Turin on matchday three. Sebastian Hoeness’ side required stoppage-time heroics from former Atalanta forward El Bilal Toure to take three points at the Allianz Stadium.
But it was nothing less than they deserved, considering they utterly outplayed Thiago Motta’s team. That victory launched a three-game winning streak in all competitions, only for Bayer Leverkusen to knock them down last Friday.
However, Stuttgart showed their character by holding the defending Bundesliga champions to a 0-0 draw at the BayArena, keeping their spirits high ahead of this exciting showdown. As if that’s not encouraging enough, they’ve yet to lose a competitive game at the MHPArena this season (W3, D3).
Prediction
Stuttgart’s scoring issues have seen them bag precisely one goal in all three Champions League fixtures this season despite generating an xG of at least 1.9 on each occasion. Therefore, Atalanta cannot afford to underestimate the German side’s attacking threat.
