Atalanta host Real Madrid as they face off in the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League league stage campaign, here is a preview.

Real Madrid travel to Bergamo, Lombardy for a daunting European fixture against UEFA Europa League holders Atalanta, with more than pride at stake concerning their league standings and being humbled by Liverpool this week.

They will cling to the fact they have defeated the Italians in all of their previous encounters, with the last one in this season’s curtain-raiser during the UEFA Super Cup which Los Blancos won 2-0 to claim the first piece of European silverware.

Atalanta Form

Atalanta will be keen to get one over their famous visitors in front of an expectant home crowd, and they have the momentum for an upset.

Last season, they shocked Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final to end the German champions’ record unbeaten run at 51 games.

Regardless of their league position, that achievement confirmed Atalanta’s return to the Champions League after a three-year absence. Indeed, they have kept soaring this term with an astounding run of form involving eight consecutive wins in Serie A.

The latest was a 3-1 defeat of Parma with goals from Mateo Retegui, Ederson and Ademola Lookman. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side are enjoying their best-ever start to a top-flight season with 28 points and 34 goals scored in the opening 13 games.

They are now a single point behind leaders Napoli and level with Inter Milan and Fiorentina. Pertinently, their status as one of the best teams in Serie A is evidenced by a league-high 34 goals which is bettered by only Barcelona (42), Bayern Munich (36) and Paris Saint-Germain (36) in Europe’s top five leagues.

La Dea are yet to concede a single goal in the Champions League after four games, and they will be hoping for a similarly resolute performance against the record winners of this competition.

Real Madrid Form

For Madrid, the heralded arrival of Kylian Mbappe has so far failed to hit high expectations as the Frenchman is yet to settle into the starting line-up as injuries elsewhere have hindered the squad’s best efforts.

While there was a strong if unspectacular start to the season, their progress has slowed considerably in recent times with a draw against Atletico Madrid and a 1-0 defeat to Lille.

Madrid had to come back from two goals down to stun Borussia Dortmund thanks to Vinicius Junior’s hat-trick, but there were no such heroics in the 4-0 thrashing by rivals Barcelona. That crushing defeat in El Clasico was followed by a 3-1 loss to AC Milan as talks of a crisis in the Santiago Bernabeu grew louder.

Although they bounced back with 4-0 and 3-0 wins over Osasuna and Leganes, Carlo Ancelotti’s side are 18th in the Champions League standings and that loss to Barca has damaged their confidence as well as their league hopes.

Meanwhile, they will still be confident of progressing to the Champions League knockout stages and they remain second in La Liga, four points behind Barcelona who have played a game more.

Every point is vital for Madrid and each game must now be regarded as a vital fixture, given they run the risk of falling further behind their hated rivals.

This trip to Italy is a chance to regain ground in the Champions League standings and anything less than three points will be a devastating blow.

Atalanta vs Real Madrid Previous Meetings

Real Madrid have history on their side, winning all three previous meetings. The most recent was the 2-0 win back in August which aw Mbappe net on his debut.

Previously the two sides met in the Champions League Round of 16 in the 20/21 season, which saw a 3-1 win in Madrid, and a 0-1 in Bergamo.

Match tickets

This UEFA Champions League matchday 6 fixture takes place on Tuesday, 10 December 2024 with kick-off scheduled for 8 PM UK time. It promises to be a spectacular occasion and match tickets are now available for sale on the website of each individual club, with priority access given to club members and season ticket holders.

Gewiss Stadium will be agog with excitement although just under 25,000 seats will be available to live spectators, this makes it doubly important to secure tickets before they get sold out. The Nerazzurri fans will be desperate to make this a memorable atmosphere and travelling supporters must also represent their club in massive numbers.

We urge non-season ticket holders to find their Atalanta vs Real Madrid tickets on a resale site, while regular match-goers can also find Real Madrid tickets for the entire season.

Team news

La Dea have seen a miraculous comeback for Giorgio Scalvini who recently returned from an anterior cruciate ligament injury ahead of schedule. Yet, they still have Gianluca Scamacca, Sead Kolasinac and Davide Zappacosta out injured at the time of writing.

Madrid have an injury crisis in defence with Eder Militao tearing his anterior cruciate ligament for the second consecutive season, joining David Alaba and Dani Carvajal on the sidelines. That leaves the Meringues with just one fit senior centre-back in Toni Rudiger while Aurelien Tchouameni, who often covered at centre-back last term, is also out.

Lucas Vazquez, Rodrygo and Thibaut Courtois are the other casualties in the treatment room.

Line-ups

Gasperini’s side play a dynamic brand of attacking football that involves man-to-man marking all over the pitch, this often proves a tough proposition for opponents, especially on the continent. Yet, tricky customers like Vinicius Junior will be able to beat several players and create space for others, which will hurt Atalanta.

They must be disciplined and impose their physicality on the visitors.

Atalanta: Carnesecchi; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Zappacosta, De Roon, Ederson, Ruggeri; Lookman, Pasalic; Retegui

One of the major issues for Madrid this season is Mbappe who is believed to be unhappy with his central striking role. The 25-year-old prefers a wide starting position as he is yet to find his best form in a Madrid shirt, but Ancelotti will be hoping he can hit top gear and turn around their fortunes.

Elsewhere, Los Blancos must perform a balancing act to put a strong team together amid an injury-hit squad.

Real Madrid: Courtois; Valverde, Rudiger, Asencio, Mendy; Modric, Camavinga, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius 

Prediction

Atalanta would prove to be stubborn opponents on the night, but the astonishing attacking depth available to Ancelotti is too difficult to ignore despite the poor performances so far. Madrid have to tart winning soon, starting here, but their recent UCL outings have proved that they struggle amidst a long list of injured defenders.

They will have to outscore their vibrant opponents and Madrid will be depending on their pool of talents to see them through a crucial European encounter. It will be a cracker regardless.

Atalanta 2-3 Real Madrid