This could be a thrilling match as Atalanta welcome Arsenal to Bergamo in the Champions League.
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Atalanta vs Arsenal odds
Find the latest match odds for Atalanta vs Arsenal. All odds are provided by our best-reviewed online football bookies. Odds are subject to change.
Quick Atalanta vs Arsenal betting tips
Draw – 14/5 with bet365
Both teams to score – 4/6 with bet365
Bukayo Saka to score any time – 2/1 with bet365
Atalanta vs Arsenal predictions
After two near-misses in a row, the Premier League title has become an obsession for Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta’s men missed out on the prize by just a single point last term, as Manchester City held on to top spot despite being pushed all the way by the north Londoners.
Arsenal look set to be City’s closest challengers again in 2024/25, with the pair set to meet in a crunch clash on Sunday.
That game looms large on the horizon and some have suggested that Arteta could name a weakened team against Atalanta to aid his preparations for the trip to the Etihad Stadium.
Arsenal are already missing their captain Martin Odegaard, who suffered an injury over the international break. And while they are in action in Italy on Thursday, City’s game against Inter takes place a day earlier and is in Manchester.
That gives Pep Guardiola’s team an advantage and they are indeed the favourites with the bookmakers for Sunday’s showdown.
Most Arsenal fans would rather win the Premier League than the Champions League if offered a straight choice between the two. It is 20 years since they last tasted glory in England’s top flight. For a long time the Gunners made a top-four finish their annual target. Now they are competing for the major prizes again.
But that does not mean Arteta will not go all-out for victory against Atalanta. The thought of becoming the first Arsenal manager to win the Champions League must be a tantalising one for the Spaniard.
What is more, leaving out several key players and risking defeat on Thursday would hardly be ideal preparation for a duel with City. Arsenal should aim to maintain this momentum for as long as possible.
Arteta must have wished for an easier start to the continental campaign, though. Atalanta are hardly a European giant, but they won the Europa League last season and are capable of giving anyone in this competition a game.
Right now, Sunday’s meeting with Manchester City is at the forefront of most Arsenal fans’ minds. However, it would be a mistake for Arteta and the players to look any further ahead than Atalanta.
Atalanta vs Arsenal betting tips. 18+ GambleAware.org – Please play responsibly.
Atalanta vs Arsenal betting tips
Arsenal could be in for a tricky test when they travel to Atalanta on matchday one of the Champions League.
Draw – 14/5 (bet365)
It is hard to overstate the impact Gian Piero Gasperini has had at Atalanta. In eight years at the helm, he has turned a mid-ranking Serie A side into European regulars, culminating in that glorious Europa League triumph last time out.
Atalanta have also reached three Coppa Italia finals under his stewardship, as well as finishing in the top four of Serie A on five occasions. That is no mean feat when you consider the club was almost relegated a couple of seasons before Gasperini’s arrival.
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Arsenal are one of the best teams in Europe these days, but they were not at their best in the Champions League last term.
It feels like there is still a mental hurdle for Arsenal to get over in this competition, having spent so long out of it until 2023/24.
In front of their own supporters on Thursday, Atalanta have enough about them to pick up a point.
Go for a draw at 14/15 with bet365
BTTS – 4/6 (bet365)
Arsenal showed their defensive resilience last weekend, as they ground out a 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
Without Odegaard and Declan Rice, Arteta decided to batten down the hatches at the home of Arsenal’s arch-rivals – and his game plan worked a treat.
There is reason to believe this will be a much more open and exciting encounter, though, largely because matches involving Atalanta usually are.
Their four Serie A games so far this season have featured 16 goals. Atalanta carry a real threat going forward (even without the injured Gianluca Scamacca) but their defence can be got at too.
Goals at both ends is the way to go at the Gewiss Stadium.
Choose both teams to score at 4/6 with bet365
Bukayo Saka to score any time – 2/1 (bet365)
Arteta rarely deviates from his favoured starting XI and one player who he is particularly reluctant to rest is Bukayo Saka.
That is understandable given the England international’s impressive consistency.
It is rare for Saka to have an off-day. Even on Sunday, when he was quieter than usual in an attacking sense, the wide man set up the winning goal and played an important role defensively.
Saka was one of England’s best players at Euro 2024 and, despite minimal rest after the tournament, he has picked up where he left off for Arsenal.
There should be space for Saka to exploit behind Atalanta’s attack-minded wing-backs, so we like his chances of making the net bulge in Bergamo.
Select Bukayo Saka to score any time at 2/1 with bet365
How to watch Atalanta vs Arsenal
Location: Gewiss Stadium, Bergamo, Italy.
Date and time: Thursday 19th September, 8pm.
How to watch: TNT Sports 1.
Read more about the 2024/25 football season
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Premier League top 4 finish odds
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About the author
Greg Lea
Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.
Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball
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