Atalanta vs FC Copenhagen Predictions

Atalanta face the toughest test of their first European qualifying campaign, as they meet Copenhagen on Thursday night. La Dea have hit form as they push for a return to the group stage of the Europa League, but they face a side who have much more European experience. The Danish side matched Atalanta’s run to the last 32 of this competition last term, and the year before that they were facing off with Leicester and Porto in the Champions League – a competition the Serie A side have yet to play in. However, one of these two will miss out on the group stage draw at the end of this month.

Atalanta started their Serie A campaign off on Monday night, as they cruised past Frosinone 4-0. They’ve excelled in recent weeks, with three straight wins in Europe bringing them to the finale of the qualifying campaign. After their brilliant European campaign last season, la Dea will be desperate for that kind of excitement yet again. They were energised with their continental clashes, and so far this term they’ve shown the same enthusiasm, so we expect the Italian side to book a group stage spot.

However, they’re playing a solid side in Copenhagen. The visitors have started off the new Superliga season well, topping the pile after six games. They’ve been in the Europa League qualifiers since mid-July, kicking off in the first round. They’ve won five of six games, and their 4-2 aggregate success over CSKA Sofia in the last round should give them confidence. They head in to this clash with eight victories in their last nine, but can that form carry over to their meeting with Atalanta?

There is a clear gulf between the impressive Serie A unit and the visitors. Atalanta have won four of their six matches at home in the Europa League, and we see them building on that in this first leg. After racking up 14 goals across their last three games in Europe, la Dea have more than enough firepower to secure a win at home. However, the visitors will be looking to continue their scoring run against a questionable defence.

The hosts have conceded in eight of their last 11 in the Europa League. Minnows Sarajevo found the net twice here earlier in the qualifiers, while Copenhagen have scored in 11 of their last 12 Europa League games, so they should pose a threat going forward. Given the form on the Danish side, we are backing them to find the net in this trip. Our tip is an Atalanta win and BTTS, along with a 2-1 victory for the Italian side.