Champions League | League Stage

Nov 26, 2024 at 8pm UK

Stadion Wankdorf (Bern)

Young Boysvs.Atalanta

Match preview

Atalanta are back among Europe's elite after winning the Europa League in the 2023-24 season. They've made an impressive start to the Champions League, becoming one of just six teams to win their first four matches without losing.

A trip to Stuttgart on matchday four saw Atalanta beat their opponents 2-0 thanks to second-half goals from Ademola Lookman and Nicolo Zaniolo. The team also kept a clean sheet in the 2024-25 competition, matching the defensive record of their local rivals Inter Milan.

Despite losing points against Arsenal and Celtic, La Dea are still in with a chance of automatic qualification. They're currently in ninth spot, just one point behind Aston Villa, Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund.

The 2-0 win against Stuttgart marks the fourth victory in a row for Atalanta in all competitions. On Tuesday, the Scudetto hopefuls will be looking to keep their winning streak alive when they take on Parma. Lookman was on target again in Saturday's 3-1 win against Parma.

If Napoli beat Roma in Sunday's big match, it could knock Atalanta off their perch. But there's not much to worry about in Bergamo right now, especially since La Dea have also scored multiple goals in all six of their recent wins.

While Atalanta have shown their European strength in the first half of the league phase, Young Boys are already struggling with the rest of the teams at the bottom of the rankings. They've taken no points from the first 12 games in the league phase.

After losing badly to Aston Villa (3-0) and Barcelona (5-0) during Patrick Rahmen's short reign, Young Boys fired the 55-year-old. But caretaker head coach Joel Magnin hasn't been able to turn things around in Europe, with narrow losses to Inter and Shakhtar Donetsk.

The 2-1 loss to the Ukrainian team on matchday four means that Tuesday's hosts are just one of five teams to have lost their opening four games. They're in the same boat as RB Leipzig, Sturm Graz, Slovan Bratislava and Red Star Belgrade, having only scored once.

Magnin's team have at least picked up four points from their last two Swiss Super League games since their last European setback. Most recently, they drew 1-1 with FC Luzern over the weekend. However, their last 11 matches have only produced three victories.

On Tuesday, Atalanta and Young Boys will meet again, three years after their 2021-22 Champions League group stage matches. La Dea won 1-0 at home, but had to settle for a draw in Switzerland, where Luis Muriel made a late equaliser to salvage a 3-3 result.

Recent Performance

Young Boys Champions League form:WWLLLL

Young Boys form (all competitions):LWDLWD

Atalanta BC Champions League form:DWDW

Atalanta BC form (all competitions):WWWWWW

Team News

Atalanta manager Gasperini will have to make a change in midfield for Tuesday's game. The team's main midfielder, Ederson, has been booked three times in the 2024-25 Champions League and will be suspended at Stadion Wankdorf.

Lazar Samardzic should step up to the mark to cover for the Brazilian and is likely to put the Young Boys defence under a lot of pressure. The 22-year-old has completed nine out of his 10 dribbles in the UCL this season, which is the best success rate of any player who has attempted at least 10.

Unfortunately, former West Ham United striker Gianluca Scamacca is still out for the long term due to an ACL problem. Also missing are Davide Zappacosta and Giorgio Scalvini, who are out due to precautionary reasons. However, there is good news on the injury front, with Berat Djimsiti and Sead Kolasinac having been given the all-clear following their respective injuries.

Atalanta aren't the only ones with concerns at the back, as six Young Boys defenders – Saidy Janko, Abdu Conte, Loris Benito, Tanguy Zoukrou, Patric Pfeiffer and the ineligible Sadin Crnovrsanin – are all out of action.

Miguel Chaiwa, who plays as a defensive midfielder, is also out of the running because of a bad ankle injury. So Filip Ugrinic, who usually plays as a wide man, might have to play in a deep-lying midfield position again.

Up front, Ebrima Colley will be back with Atalanta a few months after leaving Bergamo. The 24-year-old scored 31 goals in 55 games for La Dea at Under-19 level but only played for the seniors five times.

Possible starting lineup

Young Boys possible starting lineup:

Keller; Athekame, Lauper, Camara, Blum; Males, Lakomy, Ugrinic, Colley; Imeri; Ganvoula

Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:

Carnesecchi; Toloi, Hien, Kossounou; Bellanova, Samardzic, De Roon, Ruggeri; De Ketelaere; Lookman, Retegui