Arteta and Arsenal prepared for ‘Atalanta battle’ in Champions League | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta warns that Atalanta have ‘a particular way of playing, so the game becomes a battle’ as Arsenal visit Bergamo in the Champions League tonight.

It kicks off at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo at 20.00 UK time (19.00 GMT).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the LIVEBLOG.

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

There are two Italy internationals in the squad, Jorginho and Riccardo Calafiori, but they are both on the bench, while Gabriel Jesus gets his first start of the season rather than Leandro Trossard.

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

Some of the decisions made by Arteta could be influenced by the upcoming Premier League showdown with Manchester City on Sunday, having beaten Tottenham in the North London derby last weekend.

“My full focus is on today, we have a really tough match against a great opponent. We must do a good job to earn the right to win the game and then we discuss what to do against City.”

Arsenal have a poor away record in the Champions League, losing three out of five last season, so can they turn that around tonight?

“We have to prove ourselves here. It is very tough for any team, the percentage of away wins in the Champions League is much lower than the Premier League, that reflects how good the teams are.”

Atalanta have not played a home game in the Champions League for 1,015 days and only just reopened their stadium after restructuring work.

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

“They dominate their own half, have a really particular way of playing, as they are man-oriented, so the game becomes a battle. We have to be prepared for that.”

Mikel Arteta on Atalanta-Arsenal challenges