UEFA Champions League quarterfinal preview: Atalanta vs. Paris Saint-Germain

One more chance for the French giants to finally capture the trophy that has eluded them for a decade begins today as Paris Saint-Germain takes on Italian side Atalanta in Lisbon, Portugal for the quarterfinals of the 2020 UEFA Champions League today. The match starts at 3 p.m. ET and will air on CBS Sports Network.

PSG have won France’s Ligue 1 seven of the last eight seasons, and can do so because of a budget that allows for international record-breaking transfer fees for players such as Neymar Jr. and Kylian Mbappé. But their record in Europe is quite underachieving during this run.

This is their eight-straight campaign in the Champions League, but they have yet to get past the quarterfinals once, and today will appear in the round of eight for the first time in four years. Because of that there is immense pressure on the club to perform today, as breezing through another domestic treble is no longer enough for ownership or supporters.

On the other side underdogs Atalanta have finished third in Serie A the past two seasons, and are playing in Europe’s elite competition for the first time. The club was promoted from Serie B in 2011, and only holds one major championship in their trophy case: The Coppa Italia title from 1963.

In the Italian top-flight that’s traditionally focused on defending, Atalanta aren’t afraid to get forward and score. Their 98 goals scored and +50 differential led the league, but saw them finish behind Juventus and Inter Milan for the trophy. Colombians Duván Zapata and Luis Muriel led all scorers with 18 goals each in Serie A, but in UEFA play it’s been Slovenian Josip Iličić that leads all players with five scores.

Keep in mind for today’s matches that five substitutes per team will be allowed as opposed to the usual three, and if after 90 minutes there’s no winner 30 minutes of extra time will be played. If the match is still tied after 120 minutes, there will be a penalty kick shootout to determine who advances.

Here are the odds for today’s UEFA Champions League tie between Atalanta and Paris Saint-Germain at Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook:

After 90 minutes

Atalanta: +255 (13% of action, 19% of bets)
Tie: +275 (4% of action, 5% of bets)
Paris Saint-Germain: +102 (83% of action, 76% of bets)

To advance to semifinals

Atalanta: +165
Paris Saint-Germain: -210

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