Atalanta v Paris Saint – Germain: French champs have clear edge in class

The French aristocrats may be hampered by a lack of match sharpness but have the class to cope against opponents who look in too deep at this level.

The Champions League campaign moves into the quarter-final stage this week and first up on Wednesday is the single-leg clash between Atalanta and Paris Saint-Germain at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon.

PSG have already claimed all three domestic honours on offer and are now looking to triumph on the continental stage for the first time, with this Atalanta’s debut at this stage.

Atalanta have punched above their weight on both the domestic and European stage this term and showed their prowess in the last round when knocking out Valencia 8-4 on aggregate.

It has been another impressive Serie A season for Atalanta, who finished third for the second year in a row and scored a whopping 98 goals – 17 more than nearest challengers Inter Milan.

PSG’s form also makes for good reading as they have won 25 of their last 31 competitive matches, while they have only suffered one defeat in their eight Champions League games this season.

PSG, taking 16 points from a possible 18 and even defeating Spanish giants Real Madrid.

Atalanta have essentially been fantastic since the beginning of 2020. In league competition, they have lost just once since January 20th – a final day defeat to Inter Milan.

PSG have not reached the semi-final stage of the Champions League since 1994-95, while Atalanta had never previously made it this far.

Prediction: Atalanta BC 1-3 Paris Saint-Germain