Young Boys Berne have faced a challenging Champions League campaign, losing all four of their group matches so far.
They were defeated 2-1 by Shakhtar, narrowly lost 1-0 to Inter due to a last-minute goal by Marcus Thuram, endured a heavy 5-0 defeat against FC Barcelona, and were beaten 3-0 at home by Aston Villa in their opening match.
Scoring just one goal in these four games has proven to be insufficient for securing victories in Europe’s top competition. Domestically, the Swiss champions, who have won the league twice in a row, have struggled and fallen out of the top six, which is crucial for qualifying for the championship’s final phase.
They did manage to win 2-1 against Lugano before the international break, but their upcoming match against Luzern will be vital to staying competitive.
Atalanta Bergamo, who triumphed in the Europa Conference League last season but were beaten by Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup final, have been performing well in the Champions League.
Currently in 9th place with 8 points, they have maintained a solid defensive record, scoring only five goals but conceding none. Recently, they won 2-0 against Stuttgart and played a 0-0 draw with Celtic, a result that might be problematic later on.
Their first match in the group stage was a tight 0-0 draw with Arsenal, where they missed a penalty, followed by a dominant 3-0 win over Shakhtar. Atalanta is also in strong form in Serie A, sitting in second place. They are unbeaten in their last ten matches across all competitions, with 8 wins and 2 draws.
Atalanta has faced some injury setbacks, with central defender Benito, who was injured during the Shakhtar match, not playing since and potentially missing this match. Mohamed Camara and other long-term injuries to players like Conte, Chaiwa, Janko, Pfeiffer, and Banhie Zoukrou are also concerns.
On a positive note, Algerian international Hajdam returned to action just before the break. Swiss international Joel Monteiro and Congolese striker Ganvoula, both with four goals in the Swiss league, will be key players for Atalanta, as will Cedric Itten, who has scored three goals in the championship.
Atalanta also boasts Serie A’s top scorer, Retegui, with 11 goals. Italian international Scamacca is still sidelined due to a cruciate ligament injury, but Retegui has been an effective replacement.
In addition to these absences, Atalanta will be without former Marseille player Sean Kolasinac, who was injured against Stuttgart, and Djimsiti, who was hurt in a recent league match.
Scalvini and Belgian international Charles De Ketelaere are also doubtful. However, key players like Lookman, Zappacosta, Pasalic, De Roon, and Toloi will be available for the match.
Prediction
Young Boys have struggled to produce exciting performances lately, with only three of their last 12 Champions League matches seeing goals from both teams.
In contrast, Atalanta has kept clean sheets in ten of their last 12 away matches in this competition. It seems unlikely that both teams will score in this encounter.
Prediction: Young Boys 0 – 3 Atalanta.
