Real Madrid: 3 predictions for Los Blancos against Atalanta

Real Madrid will face Atalanta in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 on Wednesday night at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia. They must win without key starters Sergio Ramos, Eden Hazard, Dani Carvajal, and now Karim Benzema, who suffered an injury against Valencia in La Liga on Feb. 14.

Los Blancos have been battered by injury, but they are coming off three clean sheets in the league. Here are three predictions for Zinedine Zidane’s men against Atalanta.

Vinicius Junior will rise to the occasion for Real Madrid

Real Madrid left winger Vinicius Junior is just 20 years old, but he has already shown that he can take on responsibility for Los Blancos in the big matches. Vini was a standout performer in two rivalry games in the second half of the 2019-2020 season, setting up the lone goal in the win over Atletico Madrid and then scoring the crucial opener in a 2-0 win over Barcelona that was vital in winning the title.

This Wednesday night, Vinicius will be Real’s most in-form forward against Atalanta. He has rebounded from a rough couple of months in the middle of the season and looks poised for a second half of the season that could surpass what he did in the previous two campaigns.

Atalanta have some underrated defenders like Cristian Romero, who had a whopping nine interceptions this weekend against Napoli (via WhoScored.com), but Vinicius will prove to be too much to handle.