- Atalanta are unbeaten at home in the UEFA Champions League 2025/2026 (W2, D1).
- Athletic Bilbao are without a win away from home in the Champions League (D1, L2).
- Atalanta have scored an average of 1.33 goals per game at home and conceded 0.67 per game.
Tactical clash of two very different styles
Athletic Bilbao’s manager Ernesto Valverde has done a great job since taking the helm in July 2022 in creating a structured and disciplined unit that is very well-organized at the back and capable of counter-attacking with pace and purpose.
Their last two games saw an enthralling 4-3 away win over regional minnows Cultural Leonesa in the Copa del Rey followed by a 3-2 loss away to Real Mallorca in LaLiga. Bilbao’s performance was excellent in both games, but they remain 8 points behind Atalanta in 28th spot on the table.
Valverde’s team plays a tight 4-2-3-1 where they are patient in their build-up, maintain a structured shape on the flanks and deploy their wide runners to hurt teams with speed and verticality on the counter.
Palladino’s fresh ideas can topple Bilbao
This tactical clash with Atalanta should be fascinating as Raffaele Palladino has maintained Gian Piero Gasperini’s DNA in his attacking system while adding his own fresh ideas to the mix since taking over in November 2025.
His three-man back line, where the wing-backs bomb on and create overloads, is the perfect fit for the talent he has at his disposal and Atalanta have been on a roll lately, winning 3 of their last 5 games (D1, L1) in all competitions. They beat Torino 2-0 at home, won 2-0 away at Bologna and drew 1-1 at Pisa.
Home advantage and fresh legs should settle this
Atalanta are 5th in the UEFA Champions League 2025/2026 group with 13 points from 6 games and Athletic Bilbao are 28th with 5 points from 6, so the hosts are the favourites at 1.9 and Bilbao are the battlers at 4.1.
However, Atalanta are in better form and have the advantage of home turf, so the odds on the hosts are quite generous given that Bilbao are winless away from home in this competition.
Mikel Jauregizar has been Bilbao’s creative spark with 2 assists in 6 Champions League appearances, but Atalanta’s Charles De Ketelaere leads the scoring charts with 2 goals in 5 games. Both teams like to attack and with Atalanta’s wing-backs and Bilbao’s wide runners in the mix, there should be plenty of chances at both ends, so the ‘Both Teams To Score’ market at 1.8 is looking very attractive.
