SM
Arsenal vs. Juventus: 8 hrs 54 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data
AL
Champions League | League Stage
Sep 19, 2024 at 8pm UK
Gewiss Stadium
AL

Atalanta
0 - 0
Arsenal


Ederson (12')
FT

Preview: Atalanta BC vs. Arsenal - prediction, team news, lineups

:Headline: Preview: Atalanta BC vs. Arsenal - prediction, team news, lineups:
Sports Mole previews Thursday's Champions League clash between Atalanta BC and Arsenal, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Sports Mole

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

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.

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):
  • L
  • W
  • L
  • L
  • W


Arsenal form (all competitions):
  • W
  • W
  • D
  • W


Team News

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.


body check tags ::

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


amp_article__553132 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2024-09-19 15:28:51:
html db last update - 2024-09-19 15:28:51 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html
Read more!
Share this article now:


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Recommended Next on SM
Man City beware: Arsenal star 'expected' to be fit for top-of-the-table clash
Reunion at Man United: Amorim 'has spoken' to Sporting star over 2025 transfer
When will Alaba return to action? Potential return date revealed
Aston Villa to rival Newcastle for Kieran Tierney?
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www

Preview: AC Milan vs. Juventus - prediction, team news, lineups

1

PA

Preview: Bournemouth vs. Brighton - prediction, team news, lineups

NEW

2

PB

Celta Vigo vs. Barcelona: Head-to-head record and past meetings

NEW

3

CV

David update: Lille president addresses future of Man United, Barca-linked striker

NEW

4

DU

Preview: Lens vs. Marseille - prediction, team news, lineups

5

PL

Preview: St Etienne vs. Montpellier - prediction, team news, lineups

6

PS

Could Man City's "saving grace" give them the edge against "emotional" Spurs?

7

CM

Preview: Reims vs. Lyon - prediction, team news, lineups

8

PR

Preview: Hellas Verona vs. Inter Milan - prediction, team news, lineups

9

PH

Preview: Parma vs. Atalanta - prediction, team news, lineups

10

PP


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .