Atalanta vs Arsenal Prediction: 19/9/2024

Atalanta celebrated one of their most significant achievements last season by winning the Europa League. Under Gian Piero Gasperini, they had an outstanding campaign, overcoming Sporting in the Round of 16, Liverpool in the quarter-finals, and Marseille in the semi-finals. They capped it off with a commanding 3-0 win against Bayer Leverkusen, who had been unbeaten in all competitions during the 2024/2025 season.

In Serie A, Atalanta had a strong finish to secure 4th place. However, they started this season by losing 0-2 to Real Madrid in the European Super Cup. They followed that with a 4-0 win over Lecce but struggled away from home, losing 2-1 to Torino and 4-0 to Inter before the international break.

Arsenal, meanwhile, returned to the Champions League last season for the first time since 2016 and made it to the quarter-finals. After leading their group, they knocked out Porto in the Round of 16 but narrowly lost to Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.

The Gunners have been showing consistent improvement in recent Premier League seasons, finishing as runners-up to Manchester City in both 2023 and 2024. This year, they aim to secure their first title since the Invincibles season of 2004. They began their league campaign with wins 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 missing key players, including Scalvini, Scamacca, Djimsiti, and summer signing Sulemana, who are all dealing with injuries. The Italian international Mateo Retegui (3 goals in Serie A) has quickly become a focal point in their attack, with Gasperini having multiple options alongside him, such as De Ketelaere, Samardzic, Zaniolo, and Lookman.

Despite a busy summer transfer window, Atalanta saw the departures of notable players like Koopmeiners (Juventus), Miranchuk (Atlanta), and Zapata (Torino). However, they strengthened their squad by bringing in Rui Patricio (Roma), Godfrey (Everton), Bellanova (Torino), Cuadrado (Inter), and others.

For Arsenal, injuries have sidelined key players like new recruit Mikel Merino and Gabriel Jesus, along with backup defenders Tomiyasu and Tierney. Captain Martin Odegaard and Italian defender Calafiori are doubtful for the upcoming match. Still, Arsenal’s core players, including defenders Saliba and Gabriel, are available.

Declan Rice is also back from suspension, while the attacking duo of Saka and Havertz will be crucial. Arsenal have seen several departures, including Ramsdale (Southampton) and Nketiah (Crystal Palace), while they’ve brought in goalkeeper Raya (Brentford), Calafiori (Bologna), and Merino (Real Sociedad) to bolster their squad.

 

Prediction

Atalanta enter this match in poor form, having lost 11 of their last 15 top-flight games. While Arsenal may not have hit top gear yet this season, they have managed to win eight of their last 11 fixtures at this level.

Prediction: Atalanta 0-2 Arsenal