Mikel Arteta warns that Atalanta “have a special style of play which makes the game a battle” when Arsenal visit Bergamo in the Champions League tonight.

Kick-off is at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo at 8pm UK time (7pm GMT).

In the LIVEBLOG you can follow all the preparation and action live.

The Gunners have a long injury list, having to leave behind Martin Odegaard, Mikel Merino, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Kieran Terney and former Bologna defender Takehiro Tomiyasu.

With Jorginho and Riccardo Calafiori, two Italian internationals are in the squad, but both are on the bench, while Gabriel Jesus makes his first start of the season in place of Leandro Trossard.

“They always make me doubt but Gabriel has trained well, he has a lot of experience in the Champions League when you look at what he has done and we need that for this game,” Arteta told TNT Sports.

Some of Arteta’s decisions could be influenced by the upcoming Premier League clash with Manchester City on Sunday, after beating Tottenham in the north London derby last weekend.

“My full concentration is on today. We have a really difficult game against a great opponent. We have to do a good job to earn the right to win the game and then we will discuss what we do against City.”

Arsenal have a poor away record in the Champions League, losing three of their five games last season. Can they change that tonight?

“We have to prove ourselves here. It’s very tough for every team. The percentage of away wins in the Champions League is much lower than in the Premier League. That shows how good the teams are.”

Atalanta has not played a home game in the Champions League for 1,015 days and has only now reopened its stadium after renovation work.

“Great atmosphere. It’s a very special place, the way they play, it’s a team with a lot of personality. The manager has created something special here and it’s great to be here,” added the Arsenal manager.

“They dominate their own half, have a very special style of play, are man-oriented, so the game becomes a battle. We have to be prepared for that.”

Mikel Arteta on the challenges between Atalanta and Arsenal