Atalanta made history last year by winning the Europa League, marking one of the most significant achievements in the club’s history.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s team had an incredible run, overcoming Sporting in the round of 16, Liverpool in the quarterfinals, and Marseille in the semifinals.
In the final, they convincingly defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-0, a team that had been unbeatable in all competitions throughout the 2024/2025 season.
In Serie A, Atalanta performed admirably in the second half of the season, finishing fourth in the standings. However, they began this season by losing the UEFA Super Cup to Real Madrid 0-2. In the league, they started strong with a 4-0 victory over Lecce but have struggled in away matches, losing to Torino 2-1 and Inter 4-0 before the international break.
Meanwhile, Arsenal returned to the Champions League last year for the first time since 2016 and showed great potential by reaching the quarterfinals.
After topping their group, the Gunners knocked out Porto in the round of 16 before narrowly losing to Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals. Arsenal, who have been on an upward trajectory in the Premier League, finished as runners-up to Manchester City in 2023 and 2024, coming within just 2-5 points of the champions.
This season, they hope to go even further in both domestic and European competitions. Arsenal started the Premier League with victories over 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 several key players, including Scalvini, Scamacca, Djimsiti, and summer signing Sulemana, all of whom are still recovering from injuries.
Italian international Mateo Retegui, who has already scored three goals in Serie A, has quickly established himself as a key figure in attack, especially with Scamacca sidelined. Gasperini has a wealth of attacking options, including De Ketelaere, Samardzic, Zaniolo, and Lookman, the latter of whom remains at the club despite transfer rumors.
Atalanta made significant changes during the offseason, with several key departures such as Koopmeiners (to Juventus), Zapata (to Torino), and Miranchuk (to Atlanta). They have strengthened the squad with the arrivals of players like goalkeeper Rui Patricio (from Roma), defenders Godfrey (from Everton) and Bellanova (from Torino), and attackers Retegui (from Genoa) and Zaniolo (from Galatasaray).
For Arsenal, key players Mikel Merino, Gabriel Jesus, Tomiyasu, and Tierney will be absent. Captain Martin Odegaard and Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori are also doubtful after returning from international duty with injuries. However, other crucial players like defenders Saliba and Gabriel are available.
Declan Rice, who was suspended for the last Premier League match, will be back in the lineup. In attack, Saka and Havertz will be central to Arsenal’s plans. Over the summer, Arsenal saw the departure of Smith Rowe to Fulham, while goalkeeper Ramsdale (to Southampton) and striker Nketiah (to Crystal Palace) also left.
However, they strengthened the squad with the permanent signing of goalkeeper Raya (from Brentford), defender Calafiori (from Bologna), and Spanish international Merino (from Real Sociedad). They also brought in Neto (from Bournemouth) and striker Sterling (on loan from Chelsea).
Prediction
Atalanta comes into this match in poor form, having lost 11 of their last 15 top-flight matches.
While Arsenal has not been at their best this season, they have managed eight wins in their last 11 matches at this level. Given the current form of both teams, Arsenal is expected to come out on top.
Prediction: Atalanta 0 : 2 Arsenal
