The UEFA Europa League quarter-final clash between Atalanta and RB Leipzig is poised at 1-1 as the two sides prepare to face off in the second leg in Bergamo on Thursday.
Luis Muriel gave Atalanta an early lead in the first leg. However, an own goal from Davide Zappacosta gifted RB Leipzig a route back into the tie.
⛔️ @Merihdemiral ⛔️#UEL | @Atalanta_BC pic.twitter.com/2dqH402bJi— UEFA.com DE (@UEFAcom_de) April 11, 2022
⛔️ @Merihdemiral ⛔️#UEL | @Atalanta_BC pic.twitter.com/2dqH402bJi
Despite seeing 44% possession in Germany, Atalanta racked up a whopping 20 shots – four of which were on target. Meanwhile, Leipzig registered 14 shots but managed six on target.
Atalanta head into the second leg on the back of 2-1 defeat to Sassuolo. Believe it or not, Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have now lost five of their last nine Serie A games.
When you look at the bigger picture, Atalanta have managed to win just two of their past 11 league games. As a result, they have dropped to eighth in the Italian top flight.
Across the Champions League and Europa League, Atalanta have only lost two of their 11 European encounters this season.
Since dropping into the Europa League, the Italians have claimed four wins and one draw. They have also scored ten goals in their previous five games, meaning they average two goals per game.
Meanwhile, RB Leipzig claimed a dominant 3-0 victory over Hoffenheim at the weekend. Let’s not forget that they thrashed Borussia Dortmund 4-1 the weekend before.
The Red Bulls are currently enjoying an eight-game unbeaten streak in the Bundesliga. Better still, they have lost just one of their last 12 league games – securing nine wins along the way.
Earlier in the season, Leipzig finished third in Champions League Group A – behind Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain. Even so, they scored more goals than PSG.
After claiming a 5-3 aggregate victory over Real Sociedad in the Europa League play-offs, the Red Bulls were given a bye to the quarter-finals following Spartak Moscow’s expulsion.
Head-to-head: Last week’s first leg was the first competitive meeting between Atalanta and Leipzig, meaning neither side has the upper hand in the H2H record.
Team news: There are question marks over the fitness of Atalanta trio Josip Ilicic, Remo Freuler and Bryan Cabezas.
RB Leipzig look set to be without central midfielder Amadou Haidara as he continues to recover from medial collateral ligament damage.
Given the competitive nature of the first leg, Thursday’s clash is destined to be another close-fought battle.
For that reason, Forebet predicts that Atalanta and Leipzig will play out a draw in normal time. Extra-time and/or penalties could be required to determine the winner.