Borussia Dortmund will host Atalanta on Tuesday for the first leg of the UEFA Champions League playoffs in a key matchup that will only guarantee one spot for the round of 16 that will take place next month. The two teams had a similar path in the league phase as the Italian team ended up in 15th place with four wins, one draw and three defeats, while the German giants recorded three wins, two draws and three defeats and ended 17th in the standings.
Atalanta coach Raffaele Palladino spoke ahead of the match in the pre-match press conference and mentioned, “The matchup also serves to test our level, and Borussia, second in the Bundesliga behind Bayern, are at a high level. Reaching the Champions League round of 16 is a dream we want to try to achieve with all our weapons. You think over 180 minutes, but you must never focus on the next match. We’re playing in a fiery stadium, at the home of a strong team with great individual quality, one that scores a lot of goals, knows how to play through the middle and attack in depth.”
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match against Borussia Dortmund that will take place on Tuesday:
Viewing information
- Date: Tuesday, Feb. 17 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Signal Iduna Park — Dortmund
- Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: BVB +109; Draw +251; Atalanta +239
Possible lineups
BVB XI: Gregor Kobel; Nico Schlotterbeck, Waldemar Anton, Julian Ryerson; Julian Brandt, Felix Nmecha, Jobe Bellingham, Ramy Bensebaini; Maximilian Beier, Sehrou Guirassy, Fabio Silva.
Atalanta XI: Marco Carnesecchi; Berat Djimsiti, Giorgio Scalvini, Lorenzo Bernasconi; Davide Zappacosta, Ederson, Marten de Roon, Raoul Bellanova; Nikola Krstovic, Gianluca Scamacca, Nicola Zalewski.
UEFA Champions League expert predictions, picks for playoffs: Will PSG and Real Madrid be title contenders?
Pardeep Cattry
Prediction
It will be a challenging match for both teams and also difficult to predict. I expect this playoff to be decided in the second leg in Bergamo next week as each team find the next but leave the result wide open. Pick: Atalanta 1, BVB 1.
How to watch UCL
All of the action on Matchday 5 of the UEFA Champions League can be caught on Paramount+, while CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network will have select simultaneous coverage. Each day’s coverage begins with Champions League Matchday, streaming on Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network ahead of the early games before the UEFA Champions League Today pre-match show begins on Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network. The Golazo Show on Paramount+ also returns for the late slate of matches, while the UEFA Champions League Today post-match show on Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network picks things up at the end of the day. The day’s coverage concludes on CBS Sports Golazo Network with The Champions Club (also streamed live on YouTube) and Scoreline.
