Atalanta and Liverpool meet at Gewiss Stadium, in a match for this stage of the UEFA Champions League (Group Stage). These two teams have never met before, so this will be their first head-to-head meeting. In this match, the home factor may be decisive, since both teams present considerable differences in the results achieved at home and as a visitor.
Atalanta :
After 1 victory and 1 draw, the home team comes to this 3rd round in 2nd position in Group D, with 4 points won. The previous round, they drew (2‑2) at home against Ajax, after having won (0‑4) away against Midtjylland in the first match of this group stage. This is a team that curiously tends to achieve more positive results as a visitor than at home, since in the last 30 games they have registered 11 victories, 3 draws and 1 loss as a visitor, with 45 goals scored and 21 suffered; against 11 victories, 1 draw and 3 defeats in his stadium, with 42 goals scored and 20 suffered. The team comes to this match after a win away against Crotone by (1‑2). In the last 10 home matches for all competitions, Atalanta won 6, drew 1 and lost 3. The team allowed goals to the opponent in 9 of the last 10 matches, so their defense needs to improve, but their attack has scored regularly, as he has always scored at least one goal in the last 10 games. In their home matches there is a tendency to score goals, as in 48 of their last 51 matches there were Over 1.5 goals and in 39 of the last 51 there were Over 2.5 goals.
Atalanta arrived motivated for this match after a victory, by 1-2, on the trip to Crotone, in a match that counts for the Italian championship: the team’s two goals were initialed by Luis Muriel. Taking into account that the home team drew 2-2 against Ajax, on the last day of the Champions League. In this match against Liverpool, coach Gian Piero Gasperini should keep it 3-4-3 with Josip Ilicic, Papu Gómez and Duván Zapata being the most advanced pieces of the team: the last two goals mentioned are Atalanta’s best goals with 5 goals each. On the other hand, midfielder Mario Pasalic is one of the midfield bosses, very competent in the offensive organization. For this game, the home team cannot count on Marco Carnesecchi and Mattia Caldara, both injured, and Marten de Roon and Robin Gosens remain in doubt.
Liverpool :
After 2 victories, 0 draws and 0 defeats, the visiting team comes to this 3rd round in 1st position in Group D, with 6 points won. The previous round, they won at home against Midtjylland by (2‑0), after in the first match of this group stage having won (0‑1) away against Ajax. This is a stronger team with the support of its fans, since in the last 30 games it has registered 5 victories, 4 draws and 6 losses as a visitor; against 13 victories and 2 draws in his stadium. The team comes to this match after a home win against West Ham United by (2‑1). In the last 10 away matches for all competitions, Liverpool have won 5, drawn 2 and lost 3. Their attack has scored regularly, scoring goals in 9 of the last 10 matches. In 15 games, they conceded the first goal 7 times, but got the comeback in 4.
Liverpool come to this game motivated after a 2-1 victory against West Ham United, thus adding the fourth consecutive victory in official matches: the team’s goals were signed by Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah. It should be noted that Liverpool beat Midtjylland 2-0 on the last day of the Champions League. Now, on this trip to Italy, coach Jürgen Klopp must keep the team at 4-3-3, giving priority to maintaining possession of the ball and attacks organized by the corridors: Georginio Wijnaldum is the great organizer of the offensive process. Mohamed Salah is Liverpool’s top scorer in official matches with 8 goals scored. Outside of this game are Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Kostas Tsimikas, all with physical problems.
