Will Cristiano Ronaldo once again make the difference?
After four consecutive winless league games, Manchester United came to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday with their backs against the wall. However, the Red Devils then bounced back impressively with a 3-0 away win. The player of the match was once again Cristiano Ronaldo, who also scored the first goal of the day. Since his return to the English record champions, the Portuguese has also scored on all three Champions League matchdays.
In the first leg against the Nerazzurri, CR7 scored the winning goal to win 3-2 after trailing 2-0. Atalanta Bergamo’s odds against Manchester United are accordingly favourable for the 36-year-old, who has scored 60 goals in 88 away games in the top flight during his career, to be the difference-maker in the second leg as well.
Meanwhile, everything is still open in Group F. The Nerazzurri have taken four points from a possible nine and would surely overtake the leaders from England (six points) with a home win. Accordingly, the motto for the Red Devils at the Gewiss Stadium is “no losing”.
Accordingly, it is difficult to bet on the outcome of the match between Atalanta Bergamo and Manchester United. We are therefore switching to betting that Cristiano Ronaldo will be able to add his name to the list of goalscorers once again.
Atalanta Bergamo – Statistics & current form
Atalanta Bergamo are now regulars in Europe. The Nerazzurri have only been part of Serie A since 2011, but have qualified for the Champions League three times, reaching the quarter-finals in the summer of 2020.
The Lombard club is also currently on course. Gian Piero Gasperini’s team is in fifth place in Serie A and is level on points with a Champions League starting place. And in the top flight itself, they are currently just two points behind group leaders Manchester United.
Only two defeats in the last eleven competitive matches
Two points that “La Dea” could make up today if the Nerazzurri manage a home win over the Red Devils. A fortnight ago, the Italians were already sniffing at a surprise when they led 2-0 at the break in England at the Theatre of Dreams. In the end, however, they let the butter be taken off their bread and lost 3-2.
Nevertheless, their most recent record is quite respectable. The defeat at Old Trafford was only one of two lost matches in the last eleven competitive matches (five wins, four draws).
Only lost two of last eight Champions League home matches
The international home record of the Lombards is also quite respectable. Gasperini’s side have lost just two of their last eight Champions League home games (three wins, three draws) and have also picked up four points out of a possible nine at home against their three opponents from England so far.
But because the Nerazzurri need the treble to overtake the Red Devils, the pressure is on the Italians. That is also why the bookmakers see “La Dea” slightly in the underdog role.
Predicted line-up of Atalanta Bergamo:
Musso – de Roon – Demiral – Lovato – Maehle – Zappacosta – Koopmeiners – Freuler – Pasalic – Ilicic – Zapata
Last matches played by Atalanta Bergamo:
Serie A
10/30 2021 – Atalanta Bergamo 2 – 2 Lazio Roma
10/27 2021 – Sampdoria Genoa 1 – 3 Atalanta Bergamo
10/24 2021 – Atalanta Bergamo 1 – 1 Udinese
Champions League Grp. F
10/20 2021 – Manchester United 3 – 2 Atalanta Bergamo
Serie A
10/17 2021 – Empoli 1 – 4 Atalanta Bergamo
Manchester United – Statistics & current form
Manchester United are not going through an easy period, but after a small low they were able to get their season back on track in time for the second leg of the Champions League preliminary round. The English record champions took only one of twelve possible points from four consecutive league games.
But then the Red Devils burst into form at the weekend at Tottenham Hotspur. The 3-0 away win saw the side of criticised Ole Gunnar Solskjaer climb to fifth and cut the gap on a Champions League starting spot to three points.
Lost five of last ten competitive matches
In the context of leading the table in Group F of the top division, the interim conclusion is thus much better than it could be with a view to the fact that five of the last ten competitive matches have been lost.
It is clear, however, that the three-time Champions League winners cannot afford to let too much slip in either the league or the top flight. With an away win in Lombardy, on the other hand, the Solskjaer eleven could push the door to the last 16 extremely wide open.
Won eight of last eleven Champions League games against Italian clubs
When it comes to Atalanta Bergamo against Manchester United, betting on the English side to win away from home is under a good star for many reasons. For one thing, the Red Devils are decidedly strong away from home in league play. In the Premier League, they have lost only one of their last 31 games away from home.
On the other hand, they have also been consistently successful against Serie A opponents. Only one of the last eleven Champions League games against Italian teams was lost (eight wins, two draws). Last, but not least, would be difference-maker Cristiano Ronaldo. The 36-year-old has scored in all three group games for United since his return from Turin.
Predicted Manchester United line-up:
De Gea – Shaw – Maguire – Varane – Lindelöf – Wan-Bissaka – Fred – McTominay – Fernandes – Ronaldo – Cavani
Last matches played by Manchester United:
Premier League
10/30 2021 – Tottenham 0 – 3 Manchester United
10/24 2021 – Manchester United 0 – 5 Liverpool FC
Champions League Grp. F
10/20 2021 – Manchester United 3 – 2 Atalanta Bergamo
Premier League
10/16 2021 – Leicester 4 – 2 Manchester United
10/02 2021 – Manchester United 1 – 1 Everton
Atalanta Bergamo – Manchester United Direct Comparison / H2H Record
The first leg at Old Trafford a fortnight ago was the only clash between the two clubs so far. Trailing 2-0 at the break, the Red Devils turned the game around after goals from Rashford, Maguire and Ronaldo.
Atalanta Bergamo – Manchester United Tip
When it comes to Atalanta Bergamo against Manchester United, the prediction has to take into account that the Red Devils enjoyed a dress rehearsal at the weekend after a small dip in form. Partly because of a brilliant Cristiano Ronaldo, the English record champions beat Tottenham 3-0 away from home and made a big leap in the table, which also allowed coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was on the verge of being sacked, to breathe a sigh of relief.
Now a complicated second leg against goal-hungry Lombards awaits, where basically almost anything can happen. This makes betting on the three-way system extremely risky. Therefore, we prefer to bet on Cristiano Ronaldo to score again in the fourth group match.
CR7 is available with odds of 2.05 on Atalanta Bergamo against Manchester United to score.
