Preview

October 2, Gelsenkirchen, AufSchalke, 19:45
The live broadcast: Megogo

History and path to the UCL

Atalanta, founded in 1907 in Bergamo, won its only national trophy, the Italian Cup, in 1963. The team made it to the finals of this tournament 5 more times (including last season). The Bergamo-based team had no success in the Italian League until Gian Piero Gasperini joined the coaching staff in 2016. Under his leadership, the team finished in the top three for three consecutive seasons (2019, 2020, 2021). Atalanta finished the 2023/24 season in 4th spot in Serie A, but the main event in the club's history took place on the international stage – they became the UEFA Europa League winners by defeating German side Leverkusen in the final (3-0).

Squad and leaders

Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini is in his 9th season managing Atalanta. The 66-year-old mentor is considered one of the strongest coaches in Italy and Europe and is the main creator of the club's success. The captain of the team is defender Rafael Toloi. However, the key defenders in this season are Albanian Berat Djimsiti and Bosnian Sead Kolasinac. It is also worth mentioning the injured 20-year-old centre-back Giorgio Scalvini, who is considered one of the most talented defenders in Italy and is Atalanta's most expensive player according to the Transfermarkt (his value is EUR 45 million). Brazilian Ederson, Belgian Charles De Ketelaere and Croatian Mario Pasalic remain the leaders of the midfield of the Orobics. The main star of the attack and the top scorer of the previous season (19 goals) Gianluca Scamacca is also injured now, so the main options in the attack are Nigerian Ademola Lookman (the scorer of a hat-trick in the Europa League final and the second striker in the last season with 17 goals) and Italian Mateo Retegui, who scored 4 goals in 8 matches of the current season.

Start of the 2024/25 season

Atalanta began the new season with a defeat in the European Super Cup match against Real Madrid (0-2). The start of their Serie A campaign also seemed difficult. After 6 rounds, the Black-and-Blues managed only 2 wins and 1 draw, with the latter secured last weekend in the match against Bologna (1-1). At the same time, the team have conceded 12 goals – this is currently the worst indicator in the entire league. Gasperini's men tied with Arsenal London (0-0) on their field in the Champions League round 1.

Head-to-head record

Shakhtar and Atalanta locked horns in the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League group stage. In the first leg in Italy, the Miners secured a strong-willed victory (2-1), with Zapata’s goal being answered by shots from Junior Moraes and Manor Solomon. In the second match, which took place in Kharkiv, the Bergamo-based side proved stronger (0-3). As a result, the Italians made it to the play-offs of the tournament, and the Pitmen got to the UEFA Europa League, where they reached the semi-finals.

The Shakhtar vs Atalanta match will be officiated by the Portuguese judging panel: referee Joao Pinheiro, assistant referees Bruno Jesus and Luciano Maia. Video Assistant Referee Tiago Martins.