Atalanta take on the visitors Celtic in the round 3 match of UEFA Champions League group stage. The match will be played on Wednesday, October 23rd at Gewiss Stadium (Bergamo).
The Bergamaschi are gradually building momentum after their squad underwent significant changes, which is quite normal considering the substantial overhaul of Gasperini’s attack for various reasons (Koopmeiners was sold to Juventus, and Scamacca is out long-term). In their place, a wave of transfers has arrived, including Bresciannini, Retegui, and Samardzic. The team had an inconsistent start to the season, but after a 2-0 win away at Venezia, Atalanta now has three consecutive victories with 10 goals scored across different competitions. In the Champions League, 4 points from 2 games is a solid start — after a goalless home draw against Arsenal (where Retegui missed a penalty), Atalanta comfortably defeated Shakhtar Donetsk 3-0 in Germany. In Serie A, before beating Venezia, they thrashed Genoa 5-1, with a hat-trick from their former player, Retegui. So, the hosts’ attacking form looks great ahead of the clash with an entertaining Celtic side. The defense, however, is weakened — with Scalvini, Koussounou, and Toloi unavailable, Atalanta will need to brace for pressure from Celtic’s attack.
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Brendan Rodgers’ team plays aggressive, high-press football. Rodgers’ side is known for its aggressive attacking style, combined with pressing and a somewhat reckless defense, which has been evident both in the Champions League and occasionally in the Scottish Premiership. In Scotland, Celtic dropped points for the first time in the 8th round — in a 2-2 draw against Aberdeen, they let slip a two-goal lead and almost lost, fading physically toward the end of the match against their main domestic rival. Since Ange Postecoglou’s time at the club, Celtic has adopted a philosophy of recruiting players from unexpected places, turning Glasgow into a hub for Japanese talent, who now form the backbone of the team (Maeda, Furuhashi, Hatate). They also have an intriguing Honduran player, Palma, who mostly comes off the bench but was previously a key midfielder under Rodgers. Celtic has scored in every match this season (including a friendly against Sligo Rovers during the break), so their high-pressing and active attack, despite a shaky defense, will likely make an impact here. After a 5-1 win over Slovan and a 1-7 loss to Dortmund in the Champions League, the visitors' defensive flaws are hard to ignore.
Both teams’ attacking styles suggest we’re in for a goal-fest. Both sides have defensive issues — Atalanta is missing key players, while Celtic's playing style is not designed for solid defending, which has often failed in European competition. However, both teams love to attack and score frequently — Celtic has found the net in every Champions League match, and Atalanta would have done the same against Arsenal if Retegui had converted the penalty. Even without that, Gasperini’s side is in excellent attacking form, scoring 10 goals in their last three games. With these factors, the teams should easily combine for at least three goals in this match.
Prediction for the match: Over 3.0 scored goals.
