Valencia CF - Atalanta BC prediction 10.03.2020 Champions League

Gameweek 2 in the Champions League will see the clash between Valencia FC and Atalanta at Estadio de Mestalla. Kick-off time is at 9:00 PM on Mar 10, 2020, and the match will be refereed by Ovidiu Alin Haţegan. In our preview of Valencia FC vs. Atalanta we will provide you with all the important facts and stats for this Champions League fixture. Let’s start by having a look at the current form of the two teams involved.

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Valencia vs Atalanta

Valencia welcome Atalanta in what promises to be an action-packed UEFA Champions League round of 16 second-leg tie, albeit before an empty Estadio de Mestalla (as a result of coronavirus fears), with Valencia hoping to overcome a seemingly insurmountable 1-4 deficit from the first leg.

VALENCIA

Valencia have been inconsistent all season and were exposed at the back by Atalanta in the first leg encounter. Following that 4-1 loss in Italy, Valencia are left with no choice but to go all out at the Orobici in this return leg. Los Che did well to beat Real Betis in their last home game in La Liga, but to overcome the three-goal deficit in the tie against Atalanta is a tall order for just about any team.

Tuesday’s clash at the Mestalla will be played behind closed doors in an attempt to contain the spread of coronavirus, with Spain’s health ministry revealing that the country is doing its best to avoid “large gatherings”. The atmosphere would have been electric had supporters been allowed inside the stadium. Nevertheless, Valencia will need to draw inspiration from elsewhere as they attempt to turn the tie around.

Only on four previous occasions have a team managed to recover from a first-leg defeat by three or more goals to progress, and it is a huge ask for Los Che considering that they have only been victorious in one of their last seven matches in all competitions during a tough run of form. Albert Celades’s side were held to a 1-1 draw by Alaves in La Liga on Friday, leaving them down in the seventh spot in the table.

This is actually the first time since 2012-13 that Valencia have reached the last-16 stage of the Champions League, but they have an impressive resume on this competition having graced the finals back in both 1999-2000 and 2000-01. The Spanish outfit has lost four of their six previous two-legged ties against Italian opposition; that said, Los Che head coach Albert Celades is determined to stay positive ahead of the return fixture. They have been victorious in 13 of their last 19 European fixtures at the Mestalla. Valencia can take heart from some impressive outings at this venue during the current campaign, notably a 2-0 La Liga defeat of Barcelona in January. There has also been a 4-1 drubbing of Lille, 2-2 draws against Chelsea and Atletico Madrid, plus a 1-1 stalemate with Real Madrid.

Valencia will be without the services of centre-forward Maxi Gomez until early April due to a broken foot, while Eliaquim Mangala is battling to overcome thigh injury. Ezequiel Garay is out for the season due to a knee injury, meanwhile, but Manu Vallejo and Cristiano Piccini have both recently returned to training following foot and knee issues respectively.

ATALANTA

Atalanta had a nightmare start to their maiden UEFA Champions League campaign with three straight losses, but they showed great character to recover from that closing with convincing victories over Dinamo Zagreb and Shakhtar to sneak through second in the group behind Manchester City. They carried that momentum into the Serie A with some big wins, beating AC Milan and Parma 5-0 before thumping Torino 7-0 triumph in their own backyard and another massive 7-2 win over Lecce over the weekend in their latest Serie A match.

Atalanta have clearly been on a tear in recent weeks, scoring 24 goals in their last six games, losing none of them and drawing just one of those, at home against Genoa, leaving them 4th on the Serie A log as they continue to cement their hold on that final Champions League berth.

Gian Gasperini’s side put Valencia to the sword in impressive style at the San Siro, their temporary base for European fixtures, while Gewiss Stadium is being renovated, in convincing fashion and go into this second leg, needing just a draw or a low score defeat to move onto the next round and continue their fairy-tale start to Europe’s most glamorous club competition. That 4-1 win was courtesy of a Hans Hateboer double, while Josip Ilicic and Remo Freuler added other well-taken goals in an impressive display of finishing. They have already exceeded their fans’ expectations by getting to this stage. They nevertheless are determined to go as far as they can and will be favorites to come out of this tie.

The Italian side’s squad has a clean bill of health as far as injuries are concerned, meaning that there are not expected to be many alterations from the XI that started the first leg. Rafael Toloi is the Italian side’s main fitness test due to a muscular problem, although the Brazilian is being tipped to return in time for Tuesday’s contest.

Possible Line Ups

OUR BETTING TIPS AND PREDICTIONS FOR VALENCIA V ATALANTA

Due to the ban imposed on fans from the stadium, it is a bit difficult to predict what kind of game to expect from both teams playing in an empty arena. Valencia have what it takes to pick up a positive result on the night, but the Spanish outfit dug themselves into a very deep hole in the first leg and this makes it very difficult to see them getting enough here to propel them to the next round. They may win this battle but ultimately may have lost the war in Italy.

The first encounter between these sides in Italy was a free-flowing affair, with both teams creating plenty of goal-scoring opportunities. We expect this theme to be maintained and for our first betting tip we are going for BTTS @ 1.39.

Atalanta have been banging in goals for fun. Valencia are also good at home and will go on the attack from the get-go to give themselves a chance to creep back into the tie at the earliest opportunity. We, therefore, can see goals flying in and we fancy Valencia to Score First @ 1.98 and Total Goals Over 2.5 @ 1.44.

Daniel Parejo has scored in Valencia’s last two matches – he also netted his side’s first goal in their 4-1 UCL win over Lille. Parejo to Score Anytime @ 3.19 is our final betting tip from this game.

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