Kick-off: 2000, 10/03/2020
Stadium: Mestalla
TV: BT Sport
Atlanta will take a 4-1 advantage to Valencia for the second leg of their Champions League tie and have vowed to adopt a positive approach at the Mestalla.
The first encounter between these sides in Italy was incredibly open, with both teams having lots more chances to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
More of the same is expected in Spain and 11/10 for over 3.5 goals in the game is our initial Valencia vs Atalanta prediction.
A Look At Valencia’s Betting Odds
Valencia have been inconsistent all season and were simply all over the place at the back in the opening encounter with Atalanta.
Substitute Denis Cheryshev gave his side a glimmer of hope with a fine 66th-minute strike, but they still have a mountain to climb.
Los Che head coach Albert Celades was determined to stay positive ahead of the return fixture, though.
He told UEFA: “It doesn’t need to be a miracle. The result is tough to take, but we’ll be ready. We’re strong at home, with our fans.
“The first result isn’t a fair reflection of what happened on the pitch. The game was marked by our profligacy, rather than the chances we gave away.
“We had quite a lot of chances in both halves. It’s not an exaggeration to say we could have scored three or four ourselves.”
Cheryshev added: “When we have to play against them at home, we’ll come at them like lions. We need to have faith and believe in ourselves.”
Valencia can take heart from some bold showings 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.
Taking Los Che’s overall home record into account, 3/1 for them to win and both teams to score stands out from the Valencia vs Atalanta odds.
A Look At Atalanta’s Betting Odds
Atalanta recovered well from a nightmare start to their debut group-stage campaign, closing with convincing victories over Dinamo Zagreb and Shakhtar to sneak through behind Manchester City.
They then maintained that momentum in Serie A with some big wins, beating AC Milan and Parma 5-0 before romping to a 7-0 triumph at Torino.
Gian Gasperini’s side put Valencia to the sword at the San Siro, their temporary base for European fixtures, while Gewiss Stadium is being renovated.
Hans Hateboer hit a double, while Josip Ilicic and Remo Freuler added other well-taken goals in an impressive display of finishing.
“It’s a great result,” declared Gasperini. “We did well, we could have scored more but, of course, three goals advantage is positive.
“However, now is not the time to celebrate, I want to celebrate in three weeks’ time. I want to score at the Mestalla, I don’t want to suffer.”
La Dea have scored in 15 of 17 away games in all competitions this season and are coming off a 7-2 Serie A romp at Lecce, so the odds are stacked in favour of them giving Gasperini his wish.
Let’s add 21/10 for both teams to score in the first half to our Valencia vs Atalanta betting tips.
Additional stats
First-leg result:
ATALANTA 4-1 VALENCIA – Hans Hateboer (2), Josip Ilicic, Remo Freuler + Denis Cheryshev
Previous head-to-head: N/A
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