Atalanta wrote a historic chapter last season by winning the Europa League, their most significant triumph to date. Gian Piero Gasperini’s squad had an impressive run, defeating Sporting in the Round of 16, Liverpool in the quarter-finals, and Marseille in the semis.
They ultimately overwhelmed Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the final, a team that had been flawless in all competitions leading up to that point.
In Serie A, Atalanta also performed strongly, finishing 4th after an excellent second half of the season. However, they started this season with mixed results. After losing the European Super Cup to Real Madrid 0-2, they opened their Serie A campaign with a 4-0 win over Lecce but then struggled with defeats to Torino (2-1) and Inter (4-0) just before the international break.
Arsenal, absent from the Champions League since 2016, made their return last season and had a promising campaign, reaching the quarter-finals.
The Gunners topped their group and defeated Porto in the Round of 16 before narrowly losing to Bayern Munich in the quarters. Arsenal, having improved significantly in recent Premier League seasons, came close to winning the league, finishing second behind Manchester City in both 2023 and 2024.
They began the current Premier League season well, securing wins against Wolverhampton (2-0) and Aston Villa (2-0), but were held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton before the international break.
Atalanta will be without key players Scalvini and Scamacca, as well as defender Djimsiti and new midfielder Sulemana, all of whom are recovering from injuries.
Retegui, who joined the club this summer, has quickly made his mark, scoring three goals in Serie A. He is expected to lead the attack in Scamacca’s absence. Gasperini has several attacking options, including De Ketelaere, Samardzic, Berscianini, Zaniolo, and Lookman.
Atalanta saw significant changes during the offseason, with numerous departures such as Koopmeiners (Juventus), Miranchuk (Atlanta), and Zapata (Torino), among others. They strengthened their squad with several arrivals, including Rui Patricio (Roma), defenders Godfrey (Everton) and Bellanova (Torino), and forwards Retegui (Genoa) and Zaniolo (Galatasaray).
For Arsenal, key players like Mikel Merino, Gabriel Jesus, and defensive backups Tomiyasu and Tierney will be absent.
Captain Odegaard and defender Calafiori are doubtful after returning from international duty with injuries. However, core players like Saliba and Gabriel are available, and Declan Rice is back after serving a suspension. In attack, Saka and Havertz are crucial.
Arsenal saw several players leave in the transfer window, including Smith Rowe (Fulham), Ramsdale (Southampton), and Nketiah (Crystal Palace), while new signings include goalkeeper Raya (Brentford) and defender Calafiori (Bologna). Spanish international Merino was brought in from Real Sociedad, and goalkeeper Neto (Bournemouth) and striker Sterling (Chelsea) have joined on loan.
Prediction
Atalanta enters this match in poor form, having lost 11 of their last 15 top-flight games. While Arsenal hasn’t been at their best, they have won eight of their last 11 matches in similar competitions. Arsenal is expected to come out on top.
Prediction: Atalanta 0 : 2 Arsenal
