La Dea youngsters show the seniors the way
Atalata's youngsters put their Arsenal counterparts to the sword earlier with a commanding 4-1 win. Goals from Comi, Fiogbe and Steffanoni gave the hosts a 3-0 lead at the break.
Dowman, aged just 14, pulled one back for the Gunners four minutes after the interval before Artesani capped off the victory a minute before the end.
Interestingly, last season that game would have featured Ethan Nwaneri. Tonight, he's set to be mixing it with the big boys.
'We need to take the lessons that we got last season'
Jorginho, pre-match press conference:
We’ve been trying to improve every day and we need to take the lessons that we got last season. It’s the first game so still a long way to go. We need to be ready because it’s definitely going to be a really tough game to start.
I’ve been very impressed with how Atalanta have played the last few years; training together under the same roof and working towards the same goal. They deserve to be where they are and I’m happy for how they’ve grown as a club and their story is great for Italian football.
Arsenal's sorry Italian jobs
The Gunners are hoping to snap a three-game losing streak in Italy tonight. The north Londoners also failed to score in defeats by Roma, AC Milan and Napoli.
That most recent defeat came 11 years wgo to be fair. It was so lng ago that current boss Mikel Arteta was in the starting line-up.
Champions League on a Thursday?
Yes, you have that correct. As part of the revamped European Cup we now have Champions League fixtures on a Thursday. Don't worry Arsenal fans, you're not back in the Europa League.
Instead, you've got the very exciting clash against the reigning champions of Europe's second-tier competition, Atalanta. The Gewiss Stadium plays host to the meeting of the two side's tonight as the Gunners bid to claim their maiden triumph in this competiton.
Arsenal have made a good start to the season and again look best placed to capitalise on a slip from City in the league. But can they finally get their hands on a big piece of silverware?
Of course nothing will be decided tonight but that doesn't mean we won't get a great game. We'll have all the news ahead of the 8pm kick-off and then live updates when the game gets underway in Bergamo.
Key Updates
Champions League on a Thursday?