Atalanta and Sporting Lisbon will clash once more in Group D with the Serie A side looking to confirm first place in this four-way battle alongside Olympiacos and Raków Częstochowa with the qualification already secured for the Bergamo team.
Atalanta sit alongside Bayer Leverkusen and Marseille as the only teams in the Europa League yet to lose a single game. The Serie A giants have managed to only draw one game too, as Sturm Graz held them to a 1-1 draw.
Guerriero 🦾Never back down ⚔️#Kolašinac #GoAtalantaGo ⚫️🔵 pic.twitter.com/nzfp1QNYpx— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) November 28, 2023
Guerriero 🦾Never back down ⚔️#Kolašinac #GoAtalantaGo ⚫️🔵 pic.twitter.com/nzfp1QNYpx
This also means that Atalanta has a win over Sporting Lisbon in Portugal as well this season. Giorgio Scalvani scored the game's opening goal that day before Matteo Ruggeri scored in the first half too, as Viktor Gyokeres netted another goal for Sporting with a late penalty.
On the other hand to their excellent form in Europe, the Bergamo outfit are struggling back on the domestic front. This has seen them lose to Napoli at home last time out where Ademola Lookman scored another goal in the second half.
Atalanta also drew 1-1 with Udinese before that and lost to Inter Milan at home once more - this was their third loss to a top four contender this season and their fifth in total.
Last time out in the Europa League, the club managed to edge past Sturm Graz with a finish in the second half from Berat Djimsiti. Back in Serie A, however, the club are down in seventh and adrift of the top four by four points and behind Inter in first by 12 points.
As for Sporting, they come into this one down in second of the Primeira Liga after a brutal loss away to their rivals Benfica. The club fell off top spot as a result, but nevertheless, they are only adrift of their Lisbon neighbours on goals difference.
Sporting have seven points in Europe as well this season, and if they can match or better the result of Sturm Graz in their clash with Rakow, they will qualify.
In fact, a win in itself would get them into the knockout rounds with one game to spare, as they are four points above the Austrian side.
Fans will also be delighted to see Gyokeres return to action for this game with the Swede missing the last Europa League action with a suspension. Gyokeres is sitting with 12 goals in 14 games so far this season, including two in the Europa League.
Forebet predicts a win for Atalanta and for the game to see under 2.5 goals.