Date: Wednsday, October 20 2021
Kickoff Time: 2000 Hrs BST
Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester
Champions League form guide
Manchester United: LW
Atalanta: DW
Previous Meetings
N/A
All-Time Record
Manchester United wins:
Atalanta wins:
Draws:
Pre-Match Pressers
Ole Gunnar Solskjær
Team News
Manchester United
Raphaël Varane, Amad Diallo and Anthony Martial ruled out. Fred and Edinson Cavani doubtful.
Atalanta
Hans Hateboer, Matteo Pessina, Robin Gosens and Berat Djimsiti ruled out.
Know the opposition
Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio, commonly referred to as Atalanta (and nicknamed La Dea, Gli Orobici, and I Nerazzurri), is a professional football club based in Bergamo, Lombardy, Italy. The club plays in Serie A. Atalanta was founded on 17 October 1907 by students of the Liceo Classico Paolo Sarpi and was named after the female athlete of the same name from Greek mythology. The Italian Football Federation did not recognize Atalanta until 1914, and in 1919 announced that it would only allow one club from Bergamo to compete in the highest national league (then called the Prima Categoria). As Atalanta and Bergamasca were rivals and did not come to an agreement, admission to the Prima Categoria was decided by a playoff match; Atalanta won this match 2–0. A merger between the two clubs nevertheless occurred in 1920, forming the new club Atalanta Bergamasca di Ginnastica e Scherma 1907 (shortened to Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio) and establishing its black and blue (nerazzurri) colors.
In Italy, Atalanta is sometimes called Regina delle provinciali (queen of the provincial clubs) to mark the fact that the club is the most consistent among Italian clubs not based in a regional capital, having played 60 seasons in Serie A, 28 seasons in Serie B, and only one in Serie C. The club won the Coppa Italia in 1963 and reached the semi-finals of the Cup Winners' Cup in 1988, when it was still competing in Serie B. This is still the best ever performance by a non-first division club in a major UEFA competition (together with Cardiff City). Atalanta also participated in four seasons of the UEFA Europa League (previously known as the UEFA Cup), reaching the quarter-finals in the 1990–91 season. Atalanta additionally qualified for the UEFA Champions League three times, reaching the quarter-finals in the 2019–20 season under Gian Piero Gasperini.
The club is also famed for its youth academy, which has produced several notable talents who have played in the top leagues of Europe. Atalanta supporters have a long-standing friendship (gemellaggio; twinning) with supporters of Ternana. The friendship between the two clubs' supporters is one of the oldest and strongest in Italy, persevering since the 1980s. Atalanta supporters share their most intense rivalry with supporters of nearby club Brescia. Meetings between the two clubs are sometimes known as the Derby Lombardo (Lombard Derby). This rivalry has its roots in a historical feud between Bergamo and Brescia dating back to the Middle Ages, beginning in 1126 when Bergamo expanded its territory by acquiring land put up for sale by Brescia. In addition to Bescia, there are also strong rivalries between Atalanta and Italy's other well-supported clubs: Juventus, Roma, Milan, Inter, Turin, Napoli, and Lazio. The club plays its home matches at the 21,747-seater Gewiss Stadium.
Referee
Szymon Marciniak.
