The 7th-round match of the group stage of the 2025/26 Champions League between Atalanta (Italy) and Athletic Bilbao (Spain) will take place on 21 January at New Balance Arena. Atalanta vs Athletic Bilbao: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Atalanta
Atalanta beat Chelsea 2:1 at home in the previous round. As a result, the home side recorded their third consecutive win in the Champions League and moved up to fifth place in the standings with 13 points. Thus, the team secured a place in the tournament's knockout stage. Interestingly, all eight of the side's goals in this Champions League group stage were scored in the second half. Also note that the club has not won any of its last seven matches against Spanish opponents (2 draws, 5 defeats).
- Club Did Not Lose In 6 Of 8 Last Home Matches In The Champions League (3 Wins, 3 Draws).
- The Team Conceded More Than One Goal In Only 2 Of Its Last 8 Home Matches In This European Competition.
- At Least Three Goals Were Scored In 10 Of The Team's Last 12 Champions League Matches.
Potential Atalanta Lineup (3-4-3)
Marco Carnesecchi – Odilon Kossounou, Sead Kolasinac, Isak Hien – Nicola Zalewski, Ederson, Marten de Roon, Davide Zappacosta – Charles De Ketelaere, Gianluca Scamacca, Ademola Lookman.
Defender Berat Djimsiti and midfielder Raoul Bellanova are injured.
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao held PSG to a 0:0 draw at home in the previous round. Nevertheless, the visiting side failed to win for the third consecutive Champions League match, and in each of those games the team also failed to score. In total the club has only four goals in the group stage — only Slavia Prague have a worse record (2). In the standings Athletic Bilbao have five points and occupy 28th place, two points behind the playoff zone, and with a defeat the club may lose chances to reach the playoff matches. Also note that the team have won only one of 11 away matches against Italian opposition in European competitions (4 draws, 6 defeats).
- Club Did Not Win In 5 Of 6 Last Champions League Matches (2 Draws, 3 Defeats).
- The Team Did Not Score More Than One Goal In 5 Of Its Last 6 Matches In This European Competition.
- Athletic Bilbao Did Not Score In The First Half In 5 Of Their Last 6 Champions League Matches.
Potential Athletic Bilbao Lineup (4-5-1)
Unai Simón – Andoni Gorosabel, Dani Vivian, Aitor Paredes, Adama Bojoro – Robert Navarro, Mikel Hauregizar, Alejandro Rego Mora, Oihan Sancet, Unai Gómez – Gorka Guruzeta.
Injured players include defenders Yuri Berchiche and Aymeric Laporte, midfielders Nico Williams and Beñat Prados, as well as forwards Iñaki Williams, Alex Berenguer and Maroan Sannadi.
Referee
Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)
Matches – 6 (International matches, 2025/26);
Yellow/Red Cards Shown (Including Second Yellows) – 14;
Average Yellow Cards Per Match – 2.3;
Red Cards Shown – 1;
Fouls Per Match – 22;
Penalties – 83%.
Atalanta Vs Athletic Bilbao: Match Prediction
The home side feel sufficiently confident at home and regularly achieve positive results. In addition, the team's defensive play is at an adequate level: in their last eight home Champions League matches Atalanta only twice allowed opponents to score more than once, one of those opponents being Real Madrid. Moreover, on four occasions in that run the team kept a clean sheet.
As noted above, Athletic Bilbao have struggled away to Serie A clubs in European competition: 4 draws and 6 defeats in their previous 11 meetings. Overall performance in this season's group stage does not inspire confidence in the visitors' ability to trouble Atalanta's defence — Athletic Bilbao have scored just one goal in three away matches. We do not see reasons to expect a productive display from the visiting team in this matchup, therefore our prediction is below.
Prediction: Athletic Bilbao Under 1
