Arsenal's Champions League campaign gets underway with a tricky trip to Europa League winners Atalanta on Thursday night.
While Manchester City and Real Madrid are the strong favourites to win the competition, the Gunners are not too far behind, as they aim to lift Europe's most prestigious trophy for the first time.
The first of eight tests standing in Arsenal's way of the knockout round is Atalanta at the Gerwiss Stadium in Bergamo, and though Mikel Arteta's side will be the favourites for the tie, they only need to look at Liverpool last season to know that the Italian side pose a big threat.
Liverpool beat Atalanta 1-0 in Bergamo back in April, but only after the Serie A club smashed the Reds 3-0 at Anfield in the first-leg of their Europa League quarter-final.
They again defied expectations in the final with a 3-0 victory to end Bayer Leverkusen's unbeaten season hopes at the last hurdle. It is their hat-trick hero of that night, Ademola Lookman, who the Gunners arguably should be most wary of on Thursday.
Ademola Lookman will be looking to carry over his form from last year's Europa League final into the Champions League, starting with a clash against Premier League giants Arsenal
Lookman was unplayable as he helped his side overcome the previously unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen by scoring the first hat-trick in a major European final since 1975
Lookman struggled during spells at three Premier League clubs including Leicester, but is now a Ballon d'Or contender and poses a completely different threat to Mikel Arteta's Gunners
Lookman made little impact in four previous games against Arsenal, but will be one of Atalanta's biggest threats during Thursday night's Champions League clash in Bergamo
Arsenal fans will have very little memory of Lookman from the four prior occasions they came across him during his time in the Premier League.
Lookman failed to make an impact in any of those games, with his only start coming in a 1-1 draw for Fulham at the Emirates in April 2021.
He last played in the Premier League for Leicester as a 77th minute substitute in a 4-1 win over Southampton on the final day of the 2021-22 season.
Two years later, Lookman is a much different prospect to the one that failed to shine in the Premier League.
For one, he is a Ballon d'Or contender - something that very few would have expected during his time in England's top flight.
Some might say that the nomination is down to just one performance, and though it is indeed a massive factor behind his inclusion in the 30-man shortlist, it was also Lookman's best season of his career.
He scored 17 goals and registered 10 assists for Atalanta in all competitions and played a huge part in Nigeria reaching the Africa Cup of Nations final.
Lookman, a former England U20 World Cup winner, scored the only goal in their quarter-final win over Angola, before they were beaten 2-1 in the final by the Ivory Coast.
Lookman scored 17 goals and provided 10 assists for Atalanta in all competitions last season
His performance in the Europa League final might have frustrated those in the England set-up after he declared to play for Nigeria two years ago
It was his performance against Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final which highlighted how much he has progressed since his time in England, as he became the first player since 1975 to score a hat-trick in a major European final.
His first had come in the opening 11 minutes of the match, finding an open pocket of space in the penalty area to tap Douglas Zappacosta's cross into the back of the net from just off the edge of the six-yard box.
He doubled the Serie A side's lead soon after with a superb long-range finish, gliding past one defender before curling a low strike into the far corner of the goal from outside of the penalty.
His third strike was perhaps the best of the bunch, with Lookman receiving the ball on the edge of the Leverkusen penalty area, before putting his head down, driving into the box and unleashing a thumping left-footed strike into the top corner of the goal.
It was a performance that, ahead of Euro 2024, might have annoyed those within the England set-up that they let Lookman slip through their fingers.
The London-born attacker declared for Nigeria two years ago, though the England youth international would have given ex-England boss Gareth Southgate a huge argument to consider if he was still eligible for England.
There had been high hopes for Lookman during his time at Charlton, who stumbled upon him on south London's Sunday League circuit - playing with his mates for Waterloo and gave him a scholarship.
He got his big break in January 2017, joining Everton for £11m after making 49 first team appearances for the Addicks.
Lookman initially broke through at Charlton, before they sold him to Everton for £11m aged 19
Lookman struggled at Everton and was seemingly labelled as a Premier League flop after failing to make an impact during loan spells at Leicester City and Fulham
Lookman has enjoyed a fascinating journey from the cages of Peckham to European glory
However, as previously reported by Mail Sport, sources on Merseyside said that it was the wrong place at the wrong time and that Lookman struggled to settle in as a young man in new surrounds away from London.
There was a falling out with Under-23s boss David Unsworth, and it was said that he resembled a 'lost soul' around the club - effectively telling then manager Sam Allardyce that his style of football did not suit him.
What followed wasn’t much better - the move to Leipzig and loans with Fulham and Leicester - and it’s fair to say he has only felt at home at two clubs, his first and his current.
He has 33 goals for Atalanta, and after missing the opening three games with injury, Lookman returned for the Serie A side in their 3-2 victory over Fiorentina on Sunday.
He made an instant impact as he provided a goal and assist, giving him some good momentum as he heads into Thursday's clash with Arsenal.
Lookman missed Atalanta's opening three Serie A games but made an instant impact on his return against Fiorentina scoring a goal and grabbing an assist (pictured with Mateo Retegui)
Lookman is coming off a summer where he had been linked with a number of teams, including the Gunners.
Reports suggested that the Gunners had even made a £42.5m bid for Lookman which would have seen Jakub Kiwior head in the opposite direction.
But Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini, who has even admitted that 'nobody could ever imagine' that Lookman would make this much progress, was determined to keep his player.
Ahead of Thursday's game, Lookman said as per Tutto Atalanta: 'Arsenal are a very strong team, and I know what to expect from them. Playing against a team of that level is always a difficult challenge, but we are ready.
'We earned this place in the Champions League thanks to our great last season, and we want to show that we deserve to be here.'
Lookman will be determined to carry over his Europa League form into Europe's most prestigious competition - starting with Arsenal.