Celtic head to Bergamo to take on Atalanta in the Champions League on Wednesday evening, and we’ve got the latest in regards to team news and predicted lineups ahead of the clash, as well as a prediction included in our preview.
Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic return to continental action with a trip to Italy to take on Atalanta in the Champions League on Wednesday, where they’ll be hoping to bounce back after suffering a 7-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund last time out.
The Bhoys’ campaign got off to a strong start with a 5-1 win over Slovan Bratislava on MD1, but defeat to Dortmund on MD2 handed the Scottish Premiership leaders one of their heaviest European losses in history.
That result remains their sole competitive defeat thus far this term, and the only other game that they have failed to win this season came in the form of a 2-2 draw against unlikely title-rivals Aberdeen in their most recent domestic outing.
Celtic raced to a 2-0 lead against the Dons courtesy of Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate in the first-half on Saturday, but were forced to settle for a point after Ester Sokler and Graeme Shinnie struck back for the visitors in the second-half.
đ Celtic Park, Glasgow
Training at Paradise this morning before the flight to Italy đ#AtalantaCeltic | #UCL | #CelticFCđ pic.twitter.com/getnp7PH2l
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) October 22, 2024
Atalanta, meanwhile, returned to Serie A action following the international window on Sunday afternoon away at Venezia, where they ran out as 2-0 winners thanks to goals from Mateo Retegui and Mario Pasalic.
It’s a result that propelled Gian Piero Gasperini’s side up to sixth place in the Italian top-flight table and extended their unbeaten run to four straight matches. This run includes a 3-0 win over Shakhtar in the Champions League on MD2, which followed an impressive 0-0 draw against Premier League giants Arsenal on MD1.
Atalanta Team News
Wednesday’s hosts are without several key first-team players, with Gianluca Scamacca and Giorgio Scalvini still out with long-term injury concerns, joined on the sidelines by Rafael Toloi, Marco Brescianini and Odilon Kossounou.
Returning from injury, having featured in the win over Venezia on Sunday, are defenders Matteo Ruggeri and Berat Djimsti, while Sead Kolasinac should also be available for selection after a brief spell out through illness.
Wandsworth-born former Charlton, Everton, Fulham and Leicester attacker Ademola Lookman should comprise part of La Dea‘s front line, likely alongside Serie A top scorer Retegui and either Lazar Samardzic or Charles De Ketelaere.
Celtic Team News
As for the Bhoys, they are without first-choice left-back Greg Taylor due to a hamstring issue, while fellow defender Cameron Carter-Vickers is also likely to miss out after suffering a foot injury against Slovan Bratislava last month.
Their absences should mark a third successive start in all competitions for Barcelona loanee Alex Valle and a sixth consecutive start for American central defender Auston Trusty.
Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn, Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda, who have all started Celtic’s first two league phase matches, are expected to lead the line for the Glaswegian club once more, with the latter looking to make it three goals in his last three Champions League appearances.
Atalanta vs Celtic Predicted Lineups
Atalanta Predicted Lineup:
Carnesecchi; Djimsiti, Hien, Ruggeri; Bellanova, De Roon, Ederson, Zappacosta; Samardzic, Lookman; Retegui
Celtic Predicted Lineup:
Schmeichel; Johnston, Trusty, Scales, Valle; Engels, McGregor, Hatate; Kuhn, Furuhashi, Maeda
Atalanta vs Celtic Prediction
When considering Atalanta’s strong form and their unbeaten start to the Champions League campaign, as well as Celtic’s heavy defeat to Borussia Dortmund last time out, it’s hard to envisage anything other than a home victory on Wednesday.
The Bhoys also have a fairly torrid record against Italian sides in Europe, losing each of their last seven games against Serie A opposition in the Champions League with an aggregate scoreline of 15-1, further adding to the likelihood of an Atalanta win.
Not only that, but Celtic have lost eight of their last nine away matches in the Champions League since defeating Anderlecht 3-0 in September 2017, conceding an average of four goals per game within those fixtures.
The UK’s best football betting sites are heavily favouring the reigning Europa League champions to come out on top at the Gewiss Stadium too, while Celtic are rated at around 5/1 to claim three points.
Prediction: Atalanta 2-1 Celtic
