Atalanta vs Villarreal Odds & Prediction – Champions League Group Stage Matchday 6

• Atalanta hosts Villarreal in a Matchday 6 Champions League encounter on Wednesday, December 8th
• Just one point separates the two teams, who both have the chance to advance to the last 16
• Read on for betting odds, a full preview and best bets for this Champions League Group F clash

It’s a winner-take-all clash in Bergamo on Wednesday, December 8th, at 3 pm EST, with second-placed Villarreal and third-placed Atalanta both having the opportunity to join Manchester United in advancing to the knockout rounds from Group F of the Champions League.

Just one point currently separates the two teams, whose 2-2 draw on Matchday 1 was the first time they had met in European competition.

Atalanta vs Villarreal Odds

Odds as of December 7th at Barstool Sportsbook

Atalanta Must Play To Win

While a draw on Wednesday will be enough for Villarreal to go through, Atalanta knows that only a win will do.

That won’t require a massive shift in identity though, as La Dea is currently the joint second-highest scorer in Serie A, and has 10 goals in five Champions League games, good for joint eighth-most in the competition.

3 autentiche perle per battere il Napoli al 'Maradona'! 🤩

Three absolute beauties to defeat Napoli! 💎#NapoliAtalanta #GoAtalantaGo ⚫️🔵 pic.twitter.com/Dp8tu02hT0

— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) December 5, 2021

Gian Piero Gasperini’s team has been in a good run of form of late too, having won five Serie A games in a row, scoring 15 and conceding five over that stretch. That streak includes wins at Napoli and at Juventus too, so Atalanta will enter Wednesday’s match in buoyant mood.

Villarreal In Tailspin

The Yellow Submarine enters this match in a totally different run of form. Unai Emery’s team lost 1-0 at Sevilla last weekend to make it just one win in eight games in Spain’s La Liga.

Here is how 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝗙 in the @ChampionsLeague looks before MD6.

To get into the Round of 16, Villarreal need to win or draw tomorrow against @Atalanta_BC 🇮🇹 (9pm CET, Stadio di Bergamo).#UCL pic.twitter.com/nLlbFH91bj

— Villarreal CF English (@VillarrealCFen) December 7, 2021

However, while Villarreal is just 13th in the league, the team has saved some of its better performances for the Champions League, where it has won two of its past three games courtesy of back-to-back wins over Young Boys.

Specialists In Draws

For a team that just needs a draw from this game to advance, in some ways Emery’s squad couldn’t be in a better position. The defending Europa League champions have drawn seven of their 15 games in La Liga so far this year, to go along with the 2-2 draw against Atalanta it had to open the Champions League back in September.

And given Villarreal’s history in Italy in European soccer, a draw might be the best result it can expect. In 10 games in the country, the Yellow Submarine has drawn four and lost five, with just one win, which came against Roma in the knockout rounds of the 2016-17 Europa League.

Atalanta’s Home Struggles

Playing in the Champions League group stage for a third successive season, Atalanta has won just three of its 10 home games over that time, drawing four and losing three.

However, La Dea has proved tough to beat on its home patch in European competition, having lost just four of its 27 home games in both the Europa League and Champions League.

And Atalanta has gone 2-for-2 so far in reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Atalanta vs Villarreal 2021-22 Stats

Missing Pieces

Atalanta will be without the services of midfielders Robin Gosens and Matteo Lovato for Wednesday’s game, but Gasperini’s team is otherwise in good shape, with Ruslan Malinovskyi pushing for a role in the team’s attack here.

📋 Anche Matteo #Lovato tra i 24 convocati per #AtalantaVillarreal!

Matteo #Lovato back in the list! 💪 Here's our squad to face Villarreal 👇

Presented by @intesasanpaolo #UCL #GoAtalantaGo ⚫️🔵 pic.twitter.com/etYc2LMdkc

— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) December 7, 2021

Yeremi Pino misses out for Villarreal through suspension, while Serge Aurier is ineligible to play following his transfer from Tottenham. But the team might benefit from the returns of Francis Coquelin and Arnaut Danjuma, who would help the team’s attack.

Best bet: Atlanta (-136)