Manchester United vs Atalanta Odds & Prediction – UCL Group Stage Matchday 3

• Manchester United host Atalanta in the third round of group play in the Champions League on Wednesday, October 20th at 3:00 pm ET
• Atalanta currently top Group F, on four points, while Manchester United sit just one point below, in third place
• Get the odds, our analysis and betting prediction below

After an enthralling weekend of matches around Europe, the third installment of the Champions League group stage is here. One of the fixtures everyone should keep an eye on is between Manchester United and Atalanta on Wednesday afternoon.

These two sides are the favorites to advance in Group F. In turn, the outcome of the group stage is even more dependent on this fixture. Furthermore, as Villarreal looks likely to snatch a win against Young Boys, either Manchester United or Atalanta will probably find themselves in the bottom half of the table. Conversely, the winner will most likely be top of the group on Wednesday night.

Manchester United vs Atalanta Odds

Odds as of Oct 18th at DraftKings

Champions League Form

So far, Manchester United have been a bit underwhelming in the Champions League. If it were not for a late Cristiano Ronaldo winner against Villarreal, they easily could be in last place of Group F. Of course, in their first match, they lost away to Young Boys thanks to two second-half goals from the massive underdogs.

Meanwhile, Atalanta was able to narrowly beat Young Boys, and gain a point against Villarreal.  Going up against Manchester United should serve as their biggest test to date. Nonetheless, with two dynamic offenses going head-to-head, this match has all the makings of a European classic at Old Trafford.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær Feeling the Pressure

Moreover, another significant facet of this match is the current pressure facing Manchester United gaffer, Ole Gunnar Solskjær. His Red Devils have only won two out of their last seven games, despite grabbing the talents of Raphael Varane, Jadon Sancho and Ronaldo this summer.

🗣 "Ole will not win a league title or Champions League as Man United manager, he's not at the level of the other managers."@Carra23 says that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has done a good job at Manchester United but feels he can't compete with the other top managers pic.twitter.com/VC2AhMIxk2

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 18, 2021

It is currently just mid-October and Manchester United are sixth place in the Premier League, third place in their Champions League group, and out of the League Cup. With the money they have spent and the talent on the pitch, week-in and week-out, people are starting to question Solskjær’s ability as a manager. Specifically, his starting lineup decisions and in-game management.

Manchester United vs Atalanta Champions League Statistics

In fact, Solskjær seems to even be losing his dressing room, following a rift with Manchester United winger, Marcus Rashford. Solskjær’s comments claiming that Rashford needs to prioritize his football have made the player quite unhappy, and rightfully so. With all of these factors at play, coming off an embarrassing loss against Leicester City, can Manchester United get up for this match?

🚨 Marcus Rashford camp unhappy at Ole Gunnar Solskjaer telling #MUFC striker to “prioritise his football”. They accept no harm meant & Solskjaer was complimenting 23yo but fact he said that + the headline news it created has gone down badly @TheAthleticUK https://t.co/YUCVmMauLG

— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) October 18, 2021

Even if they do, Solskjær will have to put out a side missing the likes of Amad Diallo, Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial. These are not the worst of absences but definitely take away from Manchester United’s depth late on. As a result, expect Victor Lindelof to keep his place in the backline and Marcus Rashford to start on the left.

Has Atalanta’s Offense Tamed Down?

On the other side of the ball, we all are well aware of Atalanta’s offensive prowess. They have bagged loads of goals in recent seasons, and score them from a variety of areas. Domestically, they have led the Serie A in goals scored the past three years. However, eight games in, they have only netted 14 times which is only the sixth-best mark in the league.

Lucho ha partecipato a 26 gol (18 ⚽️, 8 🅰️) nelle ultime 20 partite di @seriea giocate da titolare! 🔥@Luisfmuriel09 took part in 26 goals (18 ⚽️, 8 🅰️) over the last 20 #SerieATIM games played as a starter! 😁#GoAtalantaGo ⚫️🔵 pic.twitter.com/9USBM8F1XK

— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) October 18, 2021

Duvan Zapata is still their main target up top and he has been great this year, providing four goals and two assists. However, his partners, Josep Illcic and Luis Muriel also need to perform well if they want a shot at beating Manchester United. You can almost guarantee Ronaldo bagging a goal in the Champions League, so Atalanta will need two or three to see a positive result.

Manchester United vs Atalanta Best Bet

Overall, the best bet for this match is the Atalanta moneyline with odds of +350. While this bet is risky, it has tremendous value. Atalanta have not had the best domestic campaign to date, but we know they are capable of taking down a big side. Manchester United are at sixes and sevens, and I truly think this could be the game that gets Solskjær sacked. For those reasons, I favor Atalanta to win and pull ahead in Group F.

Pick: Atalanta moneyline (+350)