Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen Match Analysis and Prediction

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Bayer Leverkusen will be travelling to the Gewiss Stadium on Thursday to face Atalanta in their round of 16 clash of the UEFA Europa League.

The hosts are currently sitting 5th in the Serie A table, with 47 points from their 27 matches, six points adrift of 4th-placed Juventus in the Champions League position.

Atalanta won their opening Europa League tie, defeating Olympiacos Piraeus 5-1 on aggregate in the knockout round playoffs.

After picking up a 2-1 victory in the first leg on the home turf, they ran out 3-0 victors in the return match, with Ruslan Malinovskyi scoring a brace in the second leg.

However, the events in the domestic league were not in their favour last time out, as they were run out in a 1-0 away defeat by Roma, with Tammy Abraham netting the winner for the hosts at the 32nd minute.

In their last six matches across all competitions, Atalanta have won three, drawn one and lost two, having scored 10 goals and conceded four over that period, scoring first in three of the six contests.

Meanwhile, their opponents Bayer Leverkusen are sitting third in the Bundesliga standings, having picked up 45 points from their 25 matches, 14 points adrift of league leaders Bayern Munich.

In their last game in the domestic league, they managed to pick up a 1-1 draw against champions Bayern Munich, with Niklas Sule netting the opener in the 18th minute before the visitors restored parity in the 36th minute courtesy of Thomas Muller’s own goal.

Leverkusen were defeated for the first time in the Europa League this season in their last group stage, losing 1-0 away at Ferencvaros, though they finished first in their group having picked up 13 points in the process. They have scored in 11 straight matches in all competitions.

Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen head to head

The two teams have not previously met in any competition and this will be their first time to meet in a competitive match.

Atalanta latest home form

Atalanta have most recently been on a good run of form at home, having been unbeaten in their three most recent matches. Their last home defeat came on February 10 when they lost 3-2 to Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia. In their last five, they have scored 10 goals and conceded 7.

Atalanta 1-2 Cagliari 06/02/22

Atalanta 2-3 Fiorentina 10/02/22

Atalanta 1-1 Juventus 13/02/22

Atalanta 2-1 Olympiakos 17/02/22

Atalanta 4-0 Sampdoria 28/02/22

Atalanta latest away form

Atalanta have recently failed to keep a good run of form on the road, having won just two of their six most recent away matches. However, they recently defeated Olympiakos 3-0 in the Europa League. In their last five away matches, they have won two, drawn one and lost two.

Udinese 2-6 Atalanta 09/01/22

Lazio 0-0 Atalanta 22/01/22

Fiorentina 1-0 Atalanta 20/02/22

Olympiakos 0-3 Atalanta 24/02/22

Roma 1-0 Atalanta 05/03/22

Bayer Leverkusen latest home form

Leverkusen have recently been on an impressive run of form at home, having been unbeaten in their nine most recent matches. They managed to defeat Arminia Bielefeld 3-0 in their last league home game on February 26. In their last five matches, they have scored 16 goals and conceded just 7.

Bayer Leverkusen 2-2 Hoffenheim 15/12/21

Bayer Leverkusen2-2 Union Berlin 08/01/22

Bayer Leverkusen 5-1 Augsburg 22/01/22

Bayer Leverkusen 4-2 Stuttgart 12/02/22

Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 Arminia Bielefeld 26/02/22

Bayer Leverkusen latest away form

Leverkusen have recently failed to keep a good run of form on the road, having won just two of their seven most recent away matches. They lost 1-0 to Ferencvaros in the Europa League on December 9. In their last five matches, they have won two, drawn one and lost two.

Freiburg 2-1 Bayer Leverkusen 19/12/21

Borussia M’gladbach 1-2 Bayer Leverkusen 15/01/22

Borussia Dortmund 2-5 Bayer Leverkusen 15/01/22

Mainz 3-2 Bayer Leverkusen 18/02/22

Bayern Munich 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen 05/03/22

Atalanta news

Atalanta will be without the services of midfielder Marten De Roon who is serving a one-game ban with his red card, while Josip Ilicic will be absent with unknown personal issues.

Duvan Zapata remains out of contention with a groin injury, while Davide Zappacosta is unavailable with a muscle injury.

Bayer Leverkusen news

Leverkusen will have to work with the absence of forward Patrik Schick with a calf injury and midfielder Karim Ballarabi with a thigh injury, who are set to return mid-March.

Andrey Lunev remains out until mid-April with a ligament injury, while Robert Andrich is absent until late March with a bruised knee.

Prediction and Odds

Both teams come into the match with offensive-oriented squads, and we expect either side to find the back of the net of their opponents.

However, Leverkusen have recently put together some good performances, and we expect them to have enough confidence to edge out their hosts and win the game.

Odds: 1 2.45 X 2.20 2 1.85