Frank Christian
Arsenal kicks off their UEFA Champions League journey with a challenging away match against Atalanta this Thursday.
Last season, Gian Piero Gasperini’s team secured a fourth-place finish in Serie A and triumphed in the Europa League, defeating Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in Dublin, a team that had been unbeaten prior to that match.
Atalanta has had a mixed start to the 2024/25 season, having lost the UEFA Super Cup to Real Madrid 2-0 and suffered a heavy 4-0 loss against Inter Milan. However, they bounced back with a narrow 3-2 win over Fiorentina, where Ademola Lookman, the star of last season’s Europa League final, played a crucial role.
Meanwhile, Arsenal secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Tottenham in their recent north London derby despite dealing with injuries and suspensions. However, this success may have come with some additional costs for Mikel Arteta.
Expected Line-ups and Team News for Atalanta vs. Arsenal
Former Arsenal player Sead Kolasinac and Berat Djimsiti have recovered from thigh injuries, which helps ease some of Gasperini’s defensive worries. However, Rafael Toloi and Ben Godfrey will still be sidelined.
In addition, Italian internationals Gianluca Scamacca and Giorgio Scalvini are also out for the long term.
Atalanta’s Projected Line-up (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi (GK) — Djimsiti, Hein, Kolasinac — Bellanova, Ederson, De Roon, Ruggeri — De Ketelaere, Lookman — Retegui
Injuries: Toloi (muscular), Godfrey (back), Scamacca, Scalvini (both ACL)
Suspensions: None
Declan Rice is back from suspension just in time, although Arteta might need to consider resting players ahead of their significant clash against Manchester City this Sunday.
Riccardo Calafiori returned to training after his thigh injury, but Arsenal’s defensive options remain limited. Martin Odegaard is set to miss the game due to an ankle issue, although Bukayo Saka is expected to play after battling cramps in the last match.
Gabriel Jesus, after coming off the bench against Spurs, could make his first start since his thigh injury. There’s also a possibility for Raheem Sterling to make his debut.
Arsenal’s Projected Line-up (4-3-3): Raya (GK) — White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber — Partey, Jorginho, Rice — Saka, Jesus, Sterling
Injuries: Odegaard (ankle), Calafiori (calf), Merino (shoulder), Tierney (thigh), Tomiyasu (knee), Zinchenko (calf)
Suspensions: None
How to Watch Atalanta vs. Arsenal: Live Stream and TV Channel
Here are the details for viewing this Champions League game in various major regions:
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| USA | TUDN USA, UniMas |
Paramount+, Fubo, ViX, TUDN.com, Univision Now, TUDN App |
| Canada | — |
DAZN, Fubo |
| UK | TNT Sports 1 | discovery+ |
| Australia | — | Stan Sport |
| India | — | JioTV, Sony LIV |
