“ARSENAL open their 2024/25 Champions League campaign with a tough test against Europa League winners Atalanta – but Mikel Arteta will be delighted to see one of his key stars return. Declan Rice was suspended for the Gunners’ 1-0 North London derby win against Tottenham after being sent off during the Brighton clash before the”, — write: www.thesun.co.uk
Declan Rice was suspended for the Gunners’ 1-0 North London derby win against Tottenham after being sent off during the Brighton clash before the international break.
But he is expected to slot back in a midfield who will be hoping to stop Atalanta’s Europa League final hat-trick hero, Ademola Lookman.
- Kick-off time: 8pm BST
- Live stream: discovery+
- TV channel: TNT Sports 1
- Atalanta team: To follow…
- Arsenal team: To follow…
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- Arsenal team newsMikel Arteta will welcome back Declan Rice this evening and Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori who has struggled with several injuries since joining The Gunners.
Martin Odegaard will be a big miss as he remains out due to an ankle injury, while Mikel Merino has failed to play any minutes since signing for Arsenal after injuring his shoulder in training.
While Bukayo Saka was substituted during the North London derby on the weekend due to injury, he did train with the squad yesterday and is expected to be available for selection tonight.
Kieran Tierney, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Oleksandr Zinchenko are all out of this game due to injury but Gabriel Jesus may play some part as he comes back from a thigh problem.
- Atalanta team newsThe hosts will be without key man Gianluca Scamacca and Giorgio Scalvini due to long-term injuries, while defensive pair Rafael Toloi and Ben Godfrey both missed the win over Fiorentina on the weekend also.
Former Arsenal man Sead Kolasinac and Albania international Berat Djimsiti are both fit again and available for selection, while Nicolo Zaniolo returned to the bench on the weekend.
Mateo Retegui is likely to be partnered up front with Ademola Lookman who could not stop scoring last season in the Europa League for the Italians.
- Reason behind the Gunners playing on a ThursdayArsenal’s Champions League opener away at Atalanta this week is one of six fixtures not taking place on the traditional Tuesday or Wednesday – the two days that the competition usually takes place.
It comes as part of a Uefa revamp, which has seen the regular 32-team group stage transformed into a 36-side league phase in the Champions League this season.
Both the Europa League and the Conference League will also follow the new format.
To avoid a heavily congested European calendar, Uefa has revealed that each of their three competitions will have a single exclusive matchweek during which fixtures from the other two tournaments will not be played.
This will allow more matches to be highlighted and fans to tune in to competitions they may not have previously watched.
The Champions League’s exclusive matchweek is matchweek one, meaning the 18 fixtures will be spread evenly across three nights from Tuesday, September 17 to Thursday, September 19.
And Arsenal’s away trip to Europa League champions Atalanta has been selected for the Thursday night, just three days before the Gunners’ heavyweight clash against Manchester City in the Premier League.
Aside from matchweek one, the only other Champions League matchweek that differs from the traditional Tuesday-Wednesday format is the final one, where all 18 matches will kick off simultaneously at 8pm GMT on Wednesday, January 29, 2025.
- Tonight’s Champions League fixturesHere are the other Champions League fixtures taking place this evening, with two already underway:
- Feyenoord 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen (5.45pm KO)
- Red Star Belgrade 0-2 Benfica (5.45pm KO)
- Atletico vs RB Leipzig (8pm KO)
- Brest vs SK Sturm Graz (8pm KO)
- Monaco vs Barcelona (8pm KO)
- Gasperini’s comments “It will be difficult to get into the top eight. To stay between ninth and 24th, we have to pick up points in every game.
“We start with a really tough test, but it is an opportunity to measure ourselves.
“We’ve been playing in Europe for several years now, it’s clear that continuity has allowed us to continue growing.
“[Arsenal] are a team I really like, they are very compact, organised, they are a good example of how to play football.
“The results speak for themselves. I don’t know [Arteta] personally, but as a coach he has all my respect. It’s a beautiful team to watch.”
- Arteta pre-match”It’s very difficult to play against [Atalanta]! They have a particular playing style which you see week-in, week-out and it’s very challenging for opponents coming up against them.
“In the last two seasons, the Premier League has changed a lot, you’ve got a lot of squads that are doing similar things to them and we need to be prepared ahead of tomorrow.
“Last year was a great campaign for us. We got to a place where we hadn’t been as a club for 16 or 18 years, but we weren’t happy or satisfied at all because we want more.
“They showed their hunger. I think we have the ability, we certainly have the quality – and now we have to prove it.”
Credit: EPA
- Hello and welcome to SunSport’s live blog of Atalanta vs Arsenal!The Gunners kickstart their Champions League league phase campaign with a trip to the Europa League champions.
Mikel Arteta’s men will be looking to build on their North London derby win at archrivals Tottenham last weekend.
And the Arsenal gaffer has received a huge boost with the return of midfielder stalwart Declan Rice after the former West Ham man served his one-match suspension on Sunday.
Arteta may be tempted to make changes to his XI with a huge heavyweight clash against Premier League title rivals Manchester City next on the agenda.
Summer signing Riccardo Calafiori is available after being out with an injury and could make his first start for the club.
Credit: GETTY
