After producing a stunning comeback to defeat Borussia Dortmund 4-3 in their UCL play-off tie thanks to a 98th minute winner from the penalty spot, Atalanta will enter their next showdown with German opposition feeling like anything is possible.
Atalanta FC and Bayern Munich meet in Bergamo, kicking off their battle for a place in the Champions League quarter-finals. While Bayern strode straight through to the last-16 stage, La Dea dramatically eliminated another German giant to squeeze through the playoffs.
Atalanta pulled off a classic Champions League comeback in this year's first knockout round, recovering from a two-goal defeat in the first leg.
Facing long odds to turn the tie around, they had overturned that deficit by the hour mark of a thrilling return leg in Bergamo, before Borussia Dortmund levelled the pair's playoff clash at 3-3.
A penalty was then awarded to La Dea deep in second-half stoppage time, and Lazar Samardzic emphatically dispatched it, sending his team through to the last 16.
Italy's last representative in this season's competition, Atalanta have developed a proud continental record in recent years, and the 2024 Europa League winners have hopes of going further.
However, aside from last month's 4-1 home win, the Nerazzurri have lost six of their last seven fixtures in the elimination phase; they have also conceded an average of two goals per game across nine knockout matches.
Furthermore, since toppling Dortmund, Raffaele Palladino's men have started to falter: after he was named Serie A's coach of the month for February, his side have claimed one point from two league matches and drew 2-2 with Lazio in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final.
Atalanta's first domestic defeat of 2026 - against 10-man Sassuolo - had already dented slim hopes of a top-four finish, before they slipped up again at the weekend.
At home to mid-table Udinese, they conceded goals either side of half time, before roaring back to snatch a late draw: Gianluca Scamacca nodded home Nicola Zalewski's cross to reduce the deficit, before the Italy striker headed in a leveller just three minutes later.
Now, the Bergamaschi are back in continental action, having lost only three of 14 previous meetings with German opposition - including their Europa League final triumph against Bayer Leverkusen - but a first clash with Bayern Munich could prove their toughest test to date.
Bayern's record this season stands at 35 wins and two defeats from 40 matches across all competitions, and the six-time European champions have only been beaten by Arsenal in UEFA's top tournament.
Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain and Club World Cup winners Chelsea have both been swept aside, with Die Roten winning seven of eight games in the league phase.
Traditionally, Bayern step up another gear in the early elimination rounds, having won 10 and lost just one of their last 12 games in the round of 16.
To date, the Bavarian giants also have the highest goals-per-game rate in the Champions League knockout phase, and this term's free-scoring form suggests they can continue in that vein.
A tally of 92 league goals leaves them just nine away from the Bundesliga's all-time seasonal record with nine games remaining, while Vincent Kompany's men have recently won their last six games across all competitions.
Firmly on track for yet another Meisterschale, they have also progressed to the DFB-Pokal semi-finals, and optimistic fans may be eyeing up a memorable treble.
Like La Dea, Bayern also beat Dortmund in a five-goal thriller late last month, then Kompany made seven changes to the team that won Der Klassiker for Friday's clash with Borussia Monchengladbach.
Even without Harry Kane in the squad, goals from Luis Diaz, Jamal Musiala, Konrad Laimer and Nicolas Jackson saw them defeat 10-man Gladbach 4-1 on home turf, providing the perfect warm-up for a springtime trip to Lombardy.
Though no team will be able to progress into the quarter-finals after Tuesday's game, it may be important for Atalanta to take a lead heading into the return leg at Allianz Arena next week.
Bayern will have to be wary of their opponents given they came back from a 2-0 first-leg deficit against Dortmund, winning 4-1 in the second leg on February 25.
Vincent Kompany's side will almost certainly claim a second consecutive Bundesliga title, and the head coach will want to bring home the team's seventh Champions League crown.
Meanwhile, heading into this tie as huge underdogs, the Italian side knows that to have any chance of progression, a win on home soil will undoubtedly be needed here, and their current return of five wins from their last six at the New Balance Arena (D1) paints an encouraging picture. What’s less appealing is the hosts’ return of six defeats across their last seven UCL knockout stage matches (W1), a run during which they’ve netted multiple goals on just one occasion.
Atalanta haven’t kept a clean sheet in any of their nine knockout stage games in the UCL. Of the sides still in this season’s UCL, Atalanta’s matches have averaged the fewest goals per game (2.7). Only Newcastle (15) have netted more first-half UCL goals than Bayern Munich this season (12). Bayern have only lost one of their last 12 games in the round of 16 of the UCL (W10, D1).
Atalanta's Gianluca Scamacca netted a brace at the weekend, meaning that each of his last nine goals have come on home soil. Luis Díaz also netted over the weekend for Bayern, with five of his last seven scoring appearances in the UCL coming in away games.
