Atalanta vs. Arsenal: Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

Thursday sees Arsenal's return to the Champions League as they take on Atalanta BC in Bergamo. During their comeback campaign last season, they reached the quarterfinals.

While Arsenal advanced to the quarterfinals of Europe's premier club tournament, La Dea defeated undefeated Bayer Leverkusen in Dublin to claim the Europa League title.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

After a six-season hiatus, Arsenal returned to the Champions League last fall. They topped Group B with four victories out of six games, beating out PSV Eindhoven, Lens, and Sevilla.

The Gunners proved they are back in top form under manager Mikel Arteta by advancing past Porto on penalties and then losing in the quarterfinals to Bayern Munich.

The Gunners not only finished second in the Premier League over the last two seasons, but Arteta also led them to their first Champions League quarterfinal appearance in fourteen years after many near-final appearances under Arsene Wenger.

Following a win in Sunday's North London derby and a win in their first four Premier League games, Arsenal will want to extend their continental revival this season.

Gabriel scored the game-winning header against Tottenham Hotspur. This was the Gunners' 23rd goal from a set piece since the beginning of last season, and they have only let in one goal so far.

Arsenal have won their previous six Premier League away games since last season. This is in preparation for their journey to Lombardy this week, followed by a high-stakes match against title rivals Manchester City.

They will now want to get all three points on the road again before facing Paris Saint-Germain at home next month, which is another challenging test.

It was only a matter of weeks until Bergamo could host Champions League matches again, and Atalanta celebrated the completion of their refurbished home stadium earlier this month.

After captivatingly winning their first European title last season—the Europa League—by defeating 'invincible' Bayern Leverkusen 3-0, the Nerazzurri are back in UEFA's top tournament.

La Dea bounced back from their recent loss in the Coppa Italia final thanks to a hat trick from Ademola Lookman, and experienced coach Gian Piero Gasperini finally won a trophy after all those hard years of coaching.

With their three-year run from 2019 to 2022, during which they advanced to the quarterfinals twice, Atalanta will be making their fourth appearance in the Champions League.

They faced a Premier League opponent in both seasons and came out on the losing end of six matches. However, Gasperini's squad stunned Liverpool in the Europa League quarterfinals with a 3-0 victory at Anfield.

This week might prove to be an especially daunting test for the Serie A team, which finished fourth in Italy last season. They have only managed one home win in their past seven Champions League matches.

Following a tumultuous transfer window, La Dea lost 2-0 in the UEFA Super Cup to Real Madrid and lost their first two league matches. Lookman scored the game-winning goal in their comeback victory against Fiorentina on Sunday.

Atalanta x Arsenal Team News

While midfield fulcrum Declan Rice is available to return to the Arsenal lineup after serving a Sunday suspension, head coach Mikel Arteta still has several serious injury worries in the lead-up to the opening Champions League match.

So far this month, two key players have returned from international duty injured—captain Martin Odegaard (ankle) and Riccardo Calafiori (calf).

Summer enrollment England winger Bukayo Saka was the most recent casualty for the Gunners when he was substituted out of the North London derby. Mikel Merino has been out since injuring his shoulder in training.

For Arsenal's first season in the Champions League, Saka set a new record by being directly involved in eight goals in nine games. This was also the most ever scored by an Englishman.

In addition to Kieran Tierney (thigh), Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee), and Oleksandr Zinchenko (calf), Gabriel Jesus (who had recovered from a thigh injury) was a late substitution last weekend.

Meanwhile, Atalanta will be without two important players, Gianluca Scamacca and Giorgio Scalvini, due to long-term injuries. Rafael Toloi and Ben Godfrey, two defensive duos, were also ruled out of the victory against Fiorentina.

Two more defenders are available again, which is good news for Gian Piero Gasperini: Sead Kolasinac and Berat Djimsiti are available again after recovering from injuries. Kolasinac played 80 games in the Premier League for Arsenal. Also, striker Nicolo Zaniolo, who has been absent often, was benched on Sunday.

Ademola Lookman, who will start up front for Italy alongside striker Mateo Retegui, scored five goals in three Europa League outings last season. However, he has failed to score a goal in four career matches against Thursday's opponents.

Our Prediction:

Arsenal to win @ 1.88 on Sky247.ng

The hosts' dedication to offensive football may often lead to their downfall, as Atalanta has conceded an average of 3.6 goals per game in their 23 Champions League appearances so far.

Despite Arsenal's injury woes, the Gunners remain a nightmare to score against and have plenty of scoring opportunities.

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