Atalanta vs Arsenal Champions League prediction and stats: Tough away trip for Gunners
Arsenal begin their 2024/25 Champions League campaign with a tough away trip to Atalanta on Thursday.
The Gunners reached the quarter-finals last season in their first Champions League campaign since 2016/17, while Atalanta return to Europe’s top table after two years away.
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Three Atalanta vs Arsenal predictions
Atalanta 1-1 Arsenal (6/1 with Boylesports)
Arsenal won just one of their five Champions League away games last season. But only one of their three defeats came in the group stage.
Bukayo Saka to score anytime (2/1 with BoyleSports)
Bukayo Saka was Arsenal’s joint-highest Champions League goalscorer last season with four goals.
Under 2.5 goals (10/11 with Boylesports)
All four of Arsenal’s games across all competitions this season have seen fewer than three goals scored. Their 1-0 win over Tottenham at the weekend was the first to not have two goals scored.
How to watch Atalanta vs Arsenal live
Atalanta vs Arsenal kicks off at 8pm (UK time) on Thursday, 19th September, and will be broadcast live in the UK on TNT Sports 1. This is one of the first fixtures in the Champions League’s new Thursday night slot.
How both teams go into Atalanta vs Arsenal
After two seasons away, Atalanta are back in the Champions League. In their first two campaigns in the competition, Atalanta achieved back-to-back knockout stage appearances. On debut they reached the quarter-finals before making it to the last 16 the next season.
But in Atalanta’s third campaign, the group stage was too tough as they dropped down into the Europa League. After a year out, Atalanta returned to European football last season and beat Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final. That, as well as their fourth-placed finish in Serie A, earned Atalanta a return to Europe’s top table.
Arsenal, meanwhile, will be hoping to build on their run to the Champions League quarter-finals last season. The English side were in the competition for the first time since 2016-17, having largely been stuck in the Europa League.
But the Gunners also ended their long wait for a return to the quarter-finals. In their previous seven Champions League appearances between 2010-11 and 2016-17, Arsenal had been knocked out in the last 16. Last season, Arsenal beat Porto on penalties in the last 16 before their old enemies Bayern Munich knocked them out in the quarter-finals.
Atalanta team news
Gianluca Scamacca and Giorgio Scalvini are out for the rest of the year — with the former perhaps set to miss the entire season — both with cruciate ligament injuries. Rafael Toloi and Ben Godfrey are both injury doubts.
- Read more: Atalanta vs Arsenal predicted lineups
Arsenal team news
Declan Rice was suspended for the North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend, but will return here. Bukayo Saka had to come off against Tottenham and faces a late fitness test. The likes of Mikel Merino, Martin Odefeaard, Riccardo Calafiori, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney are all out injured.
Atalanta vs Arsenal head-to-head
This will be the first competitive meeting between these two sides.