7M - Preview: Borussia Dortmund vs Atalanta BC - Prediction, Team News, Lineups

As Borussia Dortmund and Atalanta BC gear up for their Champions League knockout playoff first leg on Tuesday evening, both teams are eager to secure a spot in the last 16.

Dortmund, a former champion, has recently reached the final and quarter-finals, while Atalanta, though with a less storied history, finished higher in this season's league phase.

Match Preview

Dortmund had a solid start to their Champions League campaign, losing only one of their first six matches and scoring plenty of goals. However, they suffered defeats in their final two league-phase games, both by 2-0 margins. Their journey began with an exhilarating 4-4 draw against Juventus, but subsequent losses to Tottenham Hotspur and Inter Milan saw them barely advance, finishing in 17th place.

Since then, Dortmund has turned things around, winning their last three Bundesliga matches and scoring nine goals, including a dominant 4-0 victory over Mainz on Saturday. Currently, they sit six points behind perennial champions Bayern Munich and are very much in the title race.

Under former Bayern coach Niko Kovac, Dortmund has been difficult to defeat, losing just once in their last 30 league games. Historically, they've also performed well at home in the Champions League, dropping only two of their last 22 fixtures. They aim to achieve their 100th win in Europe's top competition this Tuesday.

Previously, Dortmund faced Inter and must now contend with another Lombardy club, having won their only meetings with Atalanta during the 2017-18 Europa League, including a 3-2 home victory.

Atalanta finished two points and two places ahead of Dortmund in the league phase, securing home advantage for the return leg next week. Despite ending the league phase with two defeat, they remain a formidable opponent, recently knocking Juventus out of the Coppa Italia in a 3-0 triumph, propelling them up the Serie A standings.

The Nerazzurri are unbeaten in domestic matches this calendar year, achieving seven wins and two draws; in their last outing, they secured a 2-0 victory against Lazio in Rome. Head coach Raffaele Palladino has breathed new life into the squad, previously struggling under Ivan Juric.

Despite Palladino's limited experience compared to Kovac, he guided Fiorentina to the Conference League semi-finals last season, but competing at Europe's elite level is a different challenge. Atalanta has already triumphed over teams like Club Brugge, Marseille, and Chelsea in this phase, but they have lost their last five Champions League knockout games, including a 5-2 defeat to Brugge at this stage last season.

Possible Starting Lineups:

Borussia Dortmund: Kobel; Sule, Anton, Bensebaini; Ryerson, Bellingham, Nmecha, Svensson; Brandt, Beier; Guirassy.

Atalanta BC: Carnesecchi; Kossounou, Hien, Ahanor; Zappacosta, Ederson, De Roon, Bernasconi; Raspadori, Zalewski; Krstovic.

Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 1-1 Atalanta BC

While Dortmund's pedigree and home advantage make them favorites, Atalanta is in excellent form. With nine of their ten Champions League goals coming in the second half, a late strike from La Dea could leave them heading back to Bergamo on level terms.