Atalanta vs Sturm Graz prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – League phase betting tips on match 2025-01-20 17:45.
[p]It’s been difficult to pick too many holes in Atalanta’s season so far, but they come into this crucial UEFA Champions League (UCL) clash with Sturm Graz suddenly stuck in a rut. La Dea are winless in five games across all competitions which is their longest such run since March (D3, L2), and considering that streak was broken by a win in Europe, they should still be optimistic here.[/p]
[p]They return to UCL action after a month’s pause sat among the seeded sides for the knockout round play-off, but qualifying directly for the last 16 still remains a distinct possibility. With the upper echelons of the UCL table so tightly packed, they realistically need to win here to keep those hopes alive, but that’s something they’ve done just once in their last ten UCL home games (D5, L4).[/p]
[p]The picture is much bleaker for Sturm Graz, who are in need of a miracle if they’re to advance beyond the league phase this season. According to Opta, they hold just a 0.5% chance of reaching the knockout round play-offs this term, and to do so they’ll have to win both of their remaining games, which seems a tall order for a side who’ve lost 12 of their last 13 UCL outings (W1) and haven’t played any competitive football since early December. [/p]
[p]Unfortunately for Sturm, it doesn’t look likely they’ll improve upon that here either, as no Austrian side has ever won against Italian opposition in the UCL (D3, L11). The task was tricky enough as it is, but this assignment coming on the road makes it even harder as Sturm’s UCL away record makes for incredibly bleak reading, with the Austrian side winning only one of their 15 away games in the competition proper (W1, D2, L12).[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Mateo Retegui may be out to make a fast start – he’s netted inside the opening 20 minutes in four of his last six goalscoring club appearances. Sturm’s Otar Kiteishvili has seen a strange quirk in his last ten scoring club outings, as the designated away side have scored at least twice in all but one. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: All four of Sturm’s historical away defeats to Italian clubs came by a single-goal margin. [/p]
[p][i]Written by Chris Wilson[/i][/p]