Important events
Timber also as left back. That was the plan a year ago until an injury got in the way. Riccardo Calafiori is on the bench after returning from his own injury.
As predicted: Jesus for Arsenalwith Saka, despite his cramp against Spurs. Lookman is there for Atalanta, former Gunner Sead Kolasinac plays with former Chelsea player Davide Zappacosta.
The starting teams
Atalanta XI: Carnesecchi, Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac, Zappacosta, De Roon, Ederson, Ruggeri, De Ketelaere, Retegui, Lookman.
Arsenal XI: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber, Partey, Rice, Havertz, Saka, Martinelli, Jesus.
David Hytner can’t help but look forward to the meeting with City on Sunday.
Early team news
Kieran Tierney, Mikel Merino, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu are all out, with Martin Odegaard remaining on the list for the foreseeable future, it seems. Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori are ready. Gabriel Jesus returns? Bukayo Saka rested? Mikel Arteta still has strong cards.
Ademola Lookman, Wandsworth’s best player and Lansdowne Road hero, is expected to start as Gasperini has a slight injury crisis. The defence is weakened: Ben Godfrey, formerly of Everton, young talent Giorgio Scalvini and club captain Rafael Toloi are all absent, as is West Ham ‘legend’ Gianluca Scamacca.
preamble
Perhaps this is the game of the opening round of the Swiss system. Atalanta were the glorious winners of the Europa League, knocking out Bayer Leverkusen in Dublin. Gian Piero Gasperini is one of the cleverest foxes to ever do it. And he’s back for more.
And Arsenal are becoming, well, pretty much like Arsenal these days: powerful, defensively strong, full of European experience. The win over Tottenham at the weekend was far more George Graham than Arsene Wenger. The Premier League remains the priority and that is back on track after Sunday, although Manchester City are also on the line this Sunday. And it is already Thursday.
Kick-off in Bergamo is 8pm UK time.
