Matchday 4 of the UEFA Champions League gets underway on Tuesday, with Atalanta welcoming Manchester United to Bergamo.
The teams are separated by just two points in Group F. Man Utd sit top on six points, while Atalanta are third with four points to their name.
Watched it all the way and then 💥🎯 @Cristiano#MUFC | @RemingtonUK pic.twitter.com/hblQJ8E9Mx— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 31, 2021
Watched it all the way and then 💥🎯 @Cristiano#MUFC | @RemingtonUK pic.twitter.com/hblQJ8E9Mx
With second-place Villarreal also on four points and fourth-place Young Boys on three points, every side in Group F will fancy their chances of qualifying for the knockouts.
Man Utd beat Atalanta at Old Trafford a fortnight ago, scoring three second-half goals to secure a remarkable comeback.
Mario Pasalic and Merih Demiral gave the Italians a 2-0 lead inside 28 minutes, before Marcus Rashford, Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo netted after the break.
Atalanta produced a comeback of their own on Saturday, coming from behind on two occasions to draw 2-2 with Lazio.
Gian Perio Gasperini’s men have lost just two of their 11 Serie A games this season, picking up five wins and four draws in the process.
Atalanta kicked off their Champions League campaign with a 2-2 draw against Villarreal before beating Young Boys 1-0 on Matchday 2.
When you look at the bigger picture, the Italian have only lost two of their previous 11 outings across all competitions.
Man Utd, meanwhile, secured a much-needed 3-0 victory over Tottenham on Saturday. Ronaldo and Rashford were on target again, while Edinson Cavani completed the scoring.
The Red Devils needed a big response following the 5-0 thrashing to Liverpool, and that’s exactly what they dished up.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team haven’t been at their best in recent weeks, losing five of their past ten matches in all competitions.
But after proving what they are capable of, they will be confident of doing the double over Atalanta on Tuesday.
Head-to-head: The two sides met for the very first time a fortnight ago, meaning Man Utd are unbeaten against Atalanta.
The Red Devils enjoyed 56% possession last time out, racking up a whopping 22 attempts – nine of which were on target.
Team news: Atalanta will be without injured quintet Robin Gosens, Hans Hateboer, Matteo Pessina, Berat Djimsiti and Rafael Toloi on Tuesday.
As for the visitors, Anthony Martial remains an injury doubt. Cavani could partner Ronaldo in attack again after impressing against Spurs on Saturday.
Given what happened the last time these two sides met, they will almost certainly produce plenty of goals on Tuesday.
With that in mind, Forebet predicts that Atalanta and Man Utd will play out a high-scoring draw in Bergamo, with both teams netting over 1.5 goals.