Sports Mole previews Thursday’s Champions League clash between Atalanta BC and Arsenal, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
After making it all the way to the quarter-finals in last term’s comeback campaign, Arsenal return to the Champions League on Thursday, as they meet Atalanta BC in Bergamo.
While the Gunners reached the last eight of Europe’s top club competition, La Dea lifted the Europa League trophy in Dublin, toppling unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen.
Match preview
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Arsenal finally ended a six-season absence from the Champions League last autumn, when they finished first in Group B – ahead of PSV Eindhoven, Lens and Sevilla – with four wins from six games.
They then progressed past Porto on penalties before losing to Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals, while proving that, under current boss Mikel Arteta, the Gunners are a force to be reckoned with once more.
In addition to successive second-place finishes in the Premier League, Arteta’s men made it through to the Champions League’s last eight for the first time in 14 years, after previously coming close on several occasions under Arsene Wenger.
Arsenal will therefore try to continue their continental renaissance this year, having negotiated their first four Premier League fixtures without losing – most recently claiming victory in Sunday’s North London derby.
The Gunners have conceded only one goal so far, while Gabriel‘s match-winning header against Tottenham Hotspur was the 23rd time they have scored from a set piece since the start of last season.
Leading into their midweek trip to Lombardy – which is swiftly followed by a high-stakes clash with title rivals Manchester City – Arsenal have won six straight Premier League away games stretching back to last term.
They now aim to post maximum points on their travels once again, ahead of another tough test at home to Paris Saint-Germain next month.
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With perfect timing, Atalanta celebrated completion of their newly renovated home stadium earlier this month, ready to welcome Champions League football back to Bergamo.
The Nerazzurri return to UEFA’s elite competition after memorably lifting their first European trophy last season, when they were the only team to defeat ‘invincible’ Bayern Leverkusen, winning 3-0 in the Europa League final.
An Ademola Lookman hat-trick helped La Dea get over losing the Coppa Italia final a few days earlier, as veteran coach Gian Piero Gasperini finally picked up some silverware as reward for several years of fine work.
Atalanta now take part in the Champions League for a fourth time, having featured for three successive seasons between 2019 and 2022, twice reaching the knockout phase.
They also played a Premier League team in each of those campaigns, winning only once in six matches; nonetheless, Gasperini’s side did pull off a sensational 3-0 win at Anfield as they eliminated Liverpool in the Europa League quarter-finals.
The Serie A side – who finished fourth in Italy last season – have recorded just one victory in their last seven Champions League games on home soil, and recent form suggests they may find producing another this week to be a particularly tough task.
After a turbulent time in the transfer market, La Dea started the season with a 2-0 loss to Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup, before losing two of their first three league matches. On Sunday, though, they twice fought back from behind to beat Fiorentina, with Lookman scoring the winner.
Atalanta BC form (all competitions):
Arsenal form (all competitions):
Team News
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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta can welcome back midfield fulcrum Declan Rice – who was suspended on Sunday – and Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori, but he has several significant injury concerns to deal with ahead of his team’s first Champions League fixture.
Most notably, captain Martin Odegaard is sidelined by an ankle injury, while summer signing Mikel Merino has not played since damaging his shoulder during his first training session.
Bukayo Saka became the Gunners’ latest casualty when he was withdrawn during the North London derby, but the England winger trained on Wednesday and will be available: Saka was directly involved in eight goals in nine Champions League appearances for Arsenal last season – the most by any Englishman in their debut campaign.
Kieran Tierney (thigh), Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) and Oleksandr Zinchenko (calf) are all out of contention, but Gabriel Jesus appeared as a late substitute at the weekend, having overcome a thigh problem.
Meanwhile, Atalanta will be without key men Gianluca Scamacca and Giorgio Scalvini due to long-term injuries, and defensive duo Rafael Toloi (muscular) and Ben Godfrey (back) both missed the win over Fiorentina.
In better news for Gian Piero Gasperini, two other defenders are fit again: Sead Kolasinac, who made 80 Premier League appearances for Arsenal, is back from a thigh injury, as is Albania international Berat Djimsiti. Furthermore, absence-prone forward Nicolo Zaniolo returned to the bench on Sunday.
Set to support Italy striker Mateo Retegui up front, Ademola Lookman scored five times from three Europa League starts at the end of last season; however, he has never found the net in four career appearances against Thursday’s opponents.
Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:
Carnesecchi; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Bellanova, Ederson, De Roon, Ruggeri; De Ketelaere, Lookman; Retegui
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Partey, Rice; Saka, Trossard, Sterling; Havertz
We say: Atalanta BC 1-2 Arsenal
Atalanta’s 23 Champions League matches to date have brought an average of 3.6 goals per game, and the hosts’ commitment to attacking football can see them come unstuck on some occasions.
Although Arsenal will be hampered by injuries, they are incredibly tough to score against and can take plenty of routes to goal themselves.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
