Atalanta v Sporting Lisbon

Atalanta vs Sporting Lisbon Preview

Atalanta and Sporting Lisbon will do battle once again on Thursday night, this time at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo for this 2nd leg tie of their Round of 16 clash in the Europa League with this upcoming tie nicely poised at 1-1 following last week's draw in the 1st leg at the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon, as Atalanta head into this encounter on the back of a 2-2 draw away from home at Juventus and Sporting Lisbon registered a 3-0 win away at Arouca on the weekend.

Atalanta may find themselves up against it here though as the Italian outfit have failed to win any of their last five games in all competitions and although this includes three draws, the hosts have also slipped to defeats at the hands of Inter Milan and Bologna in Serie A as well, suggesting this upcoming clash with Sporting Lisbon could be a tough one for Gian Piero Gasperini's side.

Interestingly, four of Atalanta's five winless games have also seen both teams score while the bigger picture shows six of Atalanta's last 10 matches in all competitions have produced goals for both teams as well.

The hosts will be boosted though by the fact that Atalanta have lost just once in their previous 13 home ties in this competition.

Sporting Lisbon extended their impressive unbeaten run in all competitions to 11 games overall with a comprehensive 3-0 victory away from home at Arouca in the domestic Primeira Liga on the weekend which also made it eight wins within this 11-game sequence for Ruben Amorim's side.

In the previous play-off round in the Europa League, Sporting Lisbon fought off the challenge of Swiss outfit Young Boys by virtue of recording a 4-2 win on aggregate after claiming a 3-1 win away from home in the 1st leg before drawing 1-1 in the return leg.

The goals market also appeals for this upcoming clash with Atalanta as well, as six of the Portuguese's visitors' last 10 games in all competitions have also produced goals for both teams and each of the previous three meetings with Atalanta have all resulted in both teams scoring.

In addition, six of Sporting Lisbon's last 10 away ties in the Europa League have also seen both teams hit the back of the net including each of their last four ties on the trot on the road with two of these also ending in 1-1 draws.

Atalanta v Sporting Lisbon Verdict

The previous meeting between Atalanta and Sporting Lisbon at the Gewiss Stadium ended in a 1-1 draw and another similar scoreline could unfold here again on Thursday night as there appears to be very little in separating these two clubs.

Therefore, our main bet will be BTTS Yes @ 1.66

Other side bets worth considering:

Atalanta win @ 2.00

Correct Score: Atalanta 2-1 @ 8.50