The Champions League quarterfinals get underway on Wednesday, August 12, 2020, when Atalanta and PSG battle in Lisbon, Portugal. This years Champions League has been altered due to the coronavirus pandemic as all remaining games will be in Portugal and they are all one-legged affairs. This game will air live on UniMas, TUDN, and CBS All Access at 3:00 p.m. EST.
Atalanta came in second place in Group C, coming away with seven points, to reach the knockout stage of the Champions League. In the Round of 16 the Italian side drew Valencia and came away with an 8-4 aggregate win. This season is Atalanta’s first ever appearance in the Champions League.
PSG ran away with Group A during the group stage as they were ahead of second place Real Madrid by five points. The Parisian giants drew Borussia Dortmund in the Round of 16 and came away with a 3-2 aggregate win. This is the eighth consecutive knockout round appearance for PSG and it is their first quarterfinal appearance since the 2015-2016 season.
Atalanta will be without Josip Illicic and Jose Palomino in this one. PSG will be missing some big guns as Angel Di Maria and Marco Verratti have already been ruled out. The big question mark is whether Kylian Mbappe will be able to come back from an ankle injury and play Wednesday.
Below is my pick for the Champions League action between Atalanta and PSG. All odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook.
Game Odds: Atalanta (+210) vs PSG (+117) Draw (+275)
Atalanta last played on August 1st when they suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Inter Milan. Inter scored two early goals and Atalanta never could find their form on the final day of the Serie A season. Atalanta still had an incredible season in Italy as they finished in third place with 78 points, just five points back of first place Juventus, and scored an astonishing 98 goals – 17 more than second place Inter Milan.
PSG has played just two competitive games since early March, but they added two more trophies to their trophy case. The Parisians first beat St. Etienne 1-0 to win the Coupe de France and then beat Lyon in penalties to win the Cope de la Ligue. PSG once again dominated French football as they were crowned champions by 12 points and had 31 more goals than any other team.
Series History: These two clubs have never faced each other.
Soccer Predictions: I see this one ending in a draw in regulation and Atalanta to advance on penalties.
2020 Results: 93-77