Atalanta will have to do without key players Rafael Toloi, Marco Brescianini, and Odilon Kossounou, all sidelined due to injury. However, Sead Kolasinac is expected to bolster the defence, having missed their 2-0 victory over Venezia at the weekend.

In that match, Gian Piero Gasperini started with a front three of Charles De Ketelaere, Ademola Lookman, and Mateo Retegui. However, with this clash in mind, all three were substituted before the 70th minute to preserve their energy for the midweek fixture.

Celtic are facing their own injury concerns, as Greg Taylor has been ruled out with a hamstring injury. Cameron Carter-Vickers is a doubt and will undergo a late fitness test, but having not featured since matchday one, his return looks unlikely. This opens the door for Auston Trusty to partner Liam Scales in the heart of Celtic’s defence.

Predicted Line-ups

Atalanta (3-4-3):
Carnesecchi; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Zappacosta, Ederson, De Roon, Ruggeri; De Ketelaere, Lookman; Retegui

Celtic (4-3-3):
Schmeichel; Johnston, Trusty, Scales, Valle; Engels, McGregor, Hatate; Kuhn, Furuhashi, Maeda

Key Match Facts

• This encounter marks the first time Atalanta and Celtic have faced each other, and also Atalanta’s maiden European match against a Scottish team.
• Celtic’s recent record against Italian sides in the UEFA Champions League makes for grim reading. They have lost their last seven matches by a combined score of 15-1, with their last win dating back to October 2007 against AC Milan. Even more concerning is their away form in Italy, having lost all seven of their Champions League trips there.
• Atalanta, meanwhile, will be aiming to win consecutive UEFA Champions League games for the first time since their memorable run to the quarter-finals in 2020.
• Celtic’s away struggles in Europe are well-documented, having lost eight of their last nine Champions League matches on the road, conceding an average of four goals per game.
• Atalanta come into this game on a solid defensive run, with four consecutive clean sheets in major European competitions. The last Italian side to achieve five on the trot was AC Milan in April 2023.
• Celtic have endured a difficult defensive spell in the Champions League, conceding more goals than any other team since the start of the 2022-23 season (38 goals at an average of 2.7 per game). Their xG per shot faced (0.13) is also the worst among teams who have played at least 10 matches in that period.
• That said, Celtic have won two of their last three Champions League fixtures, and a victory here would see them match a feat last achieved under Gordon Strachan in 2007—winning three games in a four-match stretch.
• Ademola Lookman has been in sparkling form for Atalanta in Europe, with six goals and two assists in his last five starts in major European competitions. Only three forwards have regained possession in the final third more often than him in this season’s Champions League (4).
• Atalanta’s Lazar Samardzic was a creative force against Shakhtar Donetsk, with six chances created and seven successful dribbles, becoming the first player since Lionel Messi in 2019 to achieve both metrics in a single Champions League match.
• For Celtic, Daizen Maeda is on a hot streak, having scored in both of their opening Champions League games this season. If he scores in this match, he’ll become the first Celtic player to net in three consecutive Champions League fixtures.