Atalanta BC and Chelsea will clash in an intriguing Champions League league-phase contest on Tuesday in Bergamo, with both sides boasting identical records of 10 points from five matchdays.
Chelsea currently sit three places higher due to a superior goal difference, and the team will be aiming for a result that guarantees direct entry into the last 16.
The Blues head into the match with fond memories of Italian showdowns, having won their last three European games against Serie A sides while keeping a clean sheet every time.
However, since their impressive 3-0 victory over Barcelona on Matchday 5, where they benefited from “Ronald Araujo’s red card and Barcelona’s nonsensical defensive strategy”—Enzo Maresca’s men have “hit a painful plateau,” claiming only two points from their last three Premier League games.
The visitors receive a significant boost with the return of midfielder Moisés Caicedo, as his domestic suspension only applies to league matches.
Striker Liam Delap is the newest addition to the treatment room, joining Roméo Lavia, Levi Colwill, Dário Essugo, and Mykhailo Mudryk on the sidelines.
Atalanta, who have also amassed 10 points and kept three clean sheets in their last four UCL games, achieved their tally in “strikingly similar fashion” to their visitors.
The Italian side, who recently masterminded a “3-0 trouncing” of Eintracht Frankfurt, will be without Kamaldeen Sulemana and Mitchel Bakker.
Former Chelsea player Davide Zappacosta may feature against his old club, with Gianluca Scamacca expected to lead the line. As this is the first-ever meeting between the two sides, a narrow 1-2 Chelsea