UEFA Europa League: facing Sporting CP for the third time this season
In the Round of 16, with the first leg taking place in Lisbon
Crossing paths once again after the two Group Stage games, Atalanta will pick up the UEFA Europa League threads at the Estadio José Alvalade in Lisbon with their third seasonal clash against Sporting Clube de Portugal.
With seven encounters contended thus far against the Lisbon side up to date, Sporting CP has become Atalanta's most-recurring European challenger: as for the all-time log, the scales are tipped in the Nerazzurri's favour on the grounds of 3 wins against 2 losses and as many draws. In the first seasonal match-up, which took place on October 5 in Lisbon, Atalanta imposed themselves 2-1 courtesy of the Scalvini-Ruggeri Academy duo, with Gyokeres halving the deficit from the penalty spot. As for the return game played on November 30 at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, spoils were shared as the 1-1 draw -marked by Scamacca and Edwards' goal- punched Atalanta's ticket to the Round of 16 with one game to spare while Sporting CP earned their spot in the knock-out stage by defeating Swiss side Young Boys in the play-offs.
In addition to the two Group Stage clashes, the previous ones both happened in the Cup Winners’ Cup. The former dates to the 63/64 season, coinciding with Atalanta’s first-ever European appearance: while the Nerazzurri won 2-0 in Bergamo in the 1st leg courtesy of Calvanese and Domenghini, they suffered a 3-1 defeat in Portugal (with Christensen featuring on the scoresheet for Atalanta). In the tie-breaker played in Barcelona, Atalanta came off worst with another 3-1 loss –with Nova scoring. The latter dates back to the quarterfinals of the 87/88 season when Atalanta punched their way to the semis after a 2-0 win in Bergamo (courtesy of Nicoli from the penalty spot and Cantarutti) and the 1-1 draw in Lisbon (with Cantarutti featuring again the scoresheet).
23/24 Season: On 59 points after 23 matches, the Lisbon team have climbed to the top of Primeira Liga standings, one point ahead of city rivals Benfica - who have one game in hand -, on the grounds of Sunday's 3-2 home win over Farense. Currently the best offensive side of the league with 66 goals, Amorim's team are currently on an unbeaten run of 10 consecutive games (namely 9 wins and 1 draw). Swede striker Viktor Gyökeres is Sporting CP's current top scorer with 32 goals in all competitions to his name.