Group F outsiders Young Boys will be hoping to follow up their surprise Champions League victory against Manchester United with another three points when they travel to Atalanta on Wednesday night.
The two sides have never faced each other before in a major European competition, with La Dea the fifth Italian outfit that the Young Boys will face after Juventus, Napoli, Udinese and Roma.
Match preview
After an inconsistent start to their domestic campaign, Atalanta have since secured two draws and two victories in their last four matches across all competitions, accumulating seven points from their last nine available in Serie A.
Two wins by a one-goal margin against Salernitana and Sassuolo were followed by a 2-2 draw away against Scudetto holders Inter Milan last weekend.
After falling behind in the fifth minute, La Dea turned the game on its head before half time with two strikes in eight minutes from Ruslan Malinovskyi and Rafael Toloi. Gian Piero Gasperini's men managed to hold on until Edin Dzeko found the net in the 71st minute, forcing both sides to share the spoils.
Atalanta – who now sit seventh in Serie A, one point behind the top four and seven points behind league leaders Napoli – now turn their attention back to the Champions League, competing in this competition for just the third time in their history.
Since suffering three successive defeats in their opening three Champions League group stage matches in 2019-20, La Dea have since lost only one of their last 10 group stage games, a 5-0 home defeat against Liverpool in November 2020.
Atalanta currently sit two points behind Young Boys in Group F and as the favourites for Wednesday's clash, the Italians should be confident of leapfrogging their Swiss counterparts with a victory on home soil.
Since Young Boys clinched their 15th domestic title last season, the Swiss outfit have enjoyed a brilliant start to the new campaign, losing only one of their 16 games across all competitions.
David Wagner's men were huge underdogs against Premier League giants Manchester United, when the two sides locked horns earlier this month, however they surprised everyone by claiming a 2-1 victory on home soil.
Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring in the 13th minute before Aaron Wan-Bissaka was shown a straight red for a high challenge on Christopher Martins midway through the first half, which proved to be the turning point in Bern.
Young Boys took advantage of the extra man as they managed to score an equaliser in the 66th minute though Moumi Ngamaleu. Then as the game was seemingly heading for a draw, a short back pass from Jesse Lingard was pounced upon by Theoson-Jordan Siebatcheu, who placed his shot past David de Gea in the 95th minute to seal all three points in dramatic fashion.
Since that famous triumph, Wagner's side have won each of their last three games domestically, scoring 15 goals in the process. Their spirits are certainly high at present and they can take confidence into Wednesday's clash with Atalanta.
Including qualifiers, Young Boys have now won each of their last four European matches, their joint-best run in a European competition after previously winning four successive games between December 2012 and August 2014.
Another surprise victory in Bergamo would see the Swiss outfit remain top of Group F and in a strong position to reach the knockout stages for the first time in their history.
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Team News
Atalanta will be without defender Hans Hateboer and striker Luis Muriel, who continue to recover from respective foot and thigh injuries.
In addition, centre-back Jose Luis Palomino is a doubt for Wednesday's game after he was forced off with a hamstring problem against Inter at the weekend. Albanian defender Berat Djimsiti is expected to start in the back three as a result.
Colombian striker Duvan Zapata, who has failed to score in each of his last five Champions League matches, is expected to start up front alongside either Malinovskyi or Josip Ilicic.
As for Young Boys, Esteban Petignat (knee), Fabian Lustenberger (Achilles), Jean-Pierre Nsame (muscle), Joel Monteiro (knee) and Cedric Zesiger (bruised foot) are all ruled out with injuries.
Wagner is expected to name a similar lineup to the one that started against Man United, so the likes of Ngamaleu, Christian Fassnacht, and Michel Aebischer are all set to play once again in their attacking midfield roles.
Siebatcheu, who has already scored nine goals in 14 appearances across all competitions this term, will likely start as the lone striker, though Meschak Elia and Wilfried Kanga will be hoping they can force their way into the first XI.
Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:
Musso; Toloi, Demiral, Djimsiti; Zappacosta, De Roon, Freuler, Gosens; Pessina, Malinovskyi; Zapata
Young Boys possible starting lineup:
Von Ballmoos; Hefti, Camara, Lauper, Garcia; Martins, Sierro; Fassnacht, Aebischer, Ngamaleu; Siebatcheu
We say: Atalanta BC 2-0 Young Boys
Even though Young Boys were able to cause an upset in their first group game, further success on Wednesday night is unlikely against a high-scoring Atalanta outfit, who will be keen to claim their first three points in Group F.
The Italian outfit will be strong favourites to win on home soil and we can see them securing a routine victory.
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