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UEFA Champions League: Borussia Dortmund vs Atalanta
Kickoff Time: 2026-2-18 4:00 (HKT)
Source:REUTERS/TERESA KROEGER
Borussia Dortmund achieved a commanding 4-0 victory against Mainz at home in the Bundesliga last weekend, marking their sixth consecutive league win. In this match, Dortmund’s wing attacks and set-piece tactics demonstrated significant effectiveness. Of Dortmund’s four goals, three came from set pieces, all assisted by Julian Ryerson. Moreover, Ryerson delivered an impressive 16 crosses throughout the game, surpassing the total number of crosses by the entire Mainz team. Undoubtedly, set pieces have become an important scoring method for Dortmund,with Ryerson playing a key role in this strategy. It’s also worth noting that Borussia Dortmund is the only team in the Bundesliga this season to remain unbeaten at home, securing an outstanding record of 9 wins and 2 draws from 11 home league matches.
Atalanta comfortably defeated Lazio 2-0 away in Serie A last weekend, achieving their third consecutive win across all competitions. Raffaele Palladino, a coach skilled in counter-attacking football, has significantly improved Atalanta’s defensive performance and has been successful in quickly organizing the team. However, Atalanta’s performance in counter-attacks and set pieces has noticeably declined, even dropping to mid-tier levels in Serie A, which has hindered their offensive output. Additionally, Atalanta’s performance in the Champions League has also dipped, with the team suffering two consecutive losses recently. This reflects Palladino’s lack of experience in European competitions.
Both Borussia Dortmund and Atalanta are evenly matched in terms of strength, but recent performances indicate that Borussia Dortmund is the stronger side. Coupled with Dortmund’s strong home advantage and Atalanta’s erratic away form (with only 1 win, 2 draws, and 1 loss in their last 4 away matches), it is reasonable to favor Borussia Dortmund to secure an early win in the playoff.
Borussia Dortmund‘s Last 5 Games: WWWLW
26-02-14: Borussia Dortmund 4-0 Mainz
26-02-07: Wolfsburg 1-2 Borussia Dortmund
26-01-29: Borussia Dortmund 0-2 Inter Milan
26-01-25: Union Berlin 0-3 Borussia Dortmund
Atalanta‘s Last 5 Games: WWWDL
26-02-15: Lazio 0-2 Atalanta
26-02-10: Atalanta 2-1 Cremonese
26-02-06: Atalanta 3-0 Juventus
26-02-01: Como 0-0 Atalanta
26-01-29: San Girolamo 1-0 Atalanta
Head-To-Head Record
18-02-23: Atalanta 1-1 Borussia Dortmund
18-02-16: Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Atalanta
17-08-02: Borussia Dortmund 0-1 Atalanta
Prediction: Borussia Dortmund wins at home