Club Brugge Vs. Atalanta BC Prediction: Testing The Sharpness Of The Front Line La Dea

Mateo Retegui, shines even more with Atalanta BC (photo: x @Atalanta_BC)

JAKARTA - Club Brugge will try to secure the lead in the first leg of the Champions League playoffs at home to Atalanta BC at Jan Breydels Stadium on Wednesday 12 February. Although Brugge almost eliminated in the group stage, the Belgian team managed to qualify for the knockout stages. Meanwhile, Atalanta almost secured a direct ticket to the round of 16, where the winner of this duel will face Lille or Aston Villa.

Despite suffering a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City in the last match of the league phase, Club Brugge was able to break through the knockout stages by finishing in 24th place, the final position that allowed him to qualify. Nicky Hayen's side managed to beat Aston Villa and Sporting Lisbon on their way, proving that they deserve to be at this stage.

The defeat to Manchester City ended a record 20 unbeaten matches by Brugge, which included 15 wins. Now, they will face the knockout stages of the Champions League for the second time in the club's history. Previously, Brugge was eliminated in the last 16 two years ago after losing 7-1 on aggregate to Benfica.

In the domestic competition, Brugge is trying to catch the leader of the Pro League standings, Genk. In addition, they have also reached the Belgian Cup final. A 3-1 win over OH Leuven last weekend ended five games without a win, with Gustaf Nilsson scoring his fifth goal in five league games.

Despite their solid performance, Brugge has a bad record against the Italian team. They have never won in their last 15 matches against Serie A club since a historic win over AC Milan 22 years ago. Now, they hope to change the negative record against Atalanta.

Unlike Brugge, who only escaped with a thin margin, Atalanta was close to securing a place in the top eight of the league phase. However, they failed to beat Barcelona on the last matchday after only drawing in Montjuic. The result made Atalanta drop to ninth and had to go through the playoffs.

Atalanta impressed in the league phase, including recording a five-goal win and holding Barcelona and Arsenal to a draw. As champions of last season's Europa League, Gian Piero Gasperini's team certainly felt unlucky having to go through the playoffs.

The Bergamo-based team is known for its sharp attacks, setting a club record of 126 goals throughout 2024. However, their defense is also solid in the Champions League, only conceding six times in the league stage for the fourth best record in the competition.

So far, Atalanta has only lost once, to defending champions Real Madrid. They also beat Shakhtar Donetsk, Stuttgart, and Young Boys in away matches, showing their strength while playing away from home.

Even so, in early 2025 it didn't go smoothly for La Dea. Of the 11 matches in all competitions since the turn of the year, they have only won three times. The top of Serie A standings they had held now escaped, and they were even eliminated from the Coppa Italia after losing to Bologna.

However, they came back with a 5-0 win over Hellas Verona last weekend. Striker Mateo Retegui performed outstanding by scoring four goals in the match. The Argentine is one of the candidates for Capocannoniere and will try to add to his collection of goals in Bruges.

Club Brugge got good news ahead of this game because they didn't have injury problems. Coach Nicky Hayen will rely on main goalkeeper Simon Mignolet under the crossbar, with 20-year-old Joel Ordonez being the mainstay on the back.

Ordonez set a record as the youngest player to appear full in all Champions League games this season. Meanwhile, Charles De Ketelaere, a former Brugge star who is now defending Atalanta, is certain to be the center of attention. The 23-year-old has contributed nine goals in the Champions League this season, even exceeding Retegui's score.

In the Atalanta camp, different situations occurred because they were in an injury crisis. A number of key players such as Gianluca Scamacca, Giorgio Scalvini, Sead Kolasinac, Marco Carnesecchi, and Ademola Lookman are confirmed to be absent. However, Atalanta has registered new players such as Daniel Maldini and Stefan Posch for the knockout phase, meaning they can provide additional options for Gasperini.

This match will be a fierce battle between the two teams with different game philosophy. Club Brugge is known for attacking those who are aggressive, while Atalanta, although still offensive, now has a more solid defense than the previous seasons.

Brugge will rely on the strength of playing at home, while Atalanta has more experience in European competitions and individual advantages, especially with the presence of Charles De Ketelaere and Mateo Retegui. With a number of missing core players, Atalanta may face difficulties, but they remain a difficult team to beat.

Club Brugge (4-2-3-1): Mignolet; Seys, Mechele, Ordonez, De Cuyper; Jashari, Onyedika; Talbi, Vanaken, Tzolis; Jutgla

Atalanta BC (3-4-2-1): Patricio; Posch, Hien, Djimsiti; Bellanova, Ederson, De Roon, Rugeni; De Ketelaere, Pasalic; Retegui

Score prediction: Club Brugge 1-2 Atalanta BC