Jack Ogalbe’s selections for Arsenal’s Champions League opener include a win for the Gunners with no goals in the first half.
Arsenal reached the quarter-finals of last season’s Champions League and begin their 2024-25 campaign with a trip to Atalanta on Thursday.
After beating Tottenham 1-0 on Sunday, the fixture in Bergamo is the second of three big games in a week ahead of this weekend’s match at Manchester City.
Last season’s Europa League winners Atalanta were 3-2 victors over Fiorentina at the weekend but have been inconsistent this term and may struggle to break down a stubborn Gunners rearguard.
Best bets
Arsenal to win to nil
23/10
Half-time score: 0-0
2/1
Over 9.5 corners
5/4
Gunners’ defence can stand firm
Arsenal have won three of their four Premier League games this season, with all of those victories being accompanied by a clean sheet.
The only goal they have conceded came in a 1-1 draw with Brighton and occurred after Declan Rice was sent off for two yellow cards.
Rice will be available again after being suspended for the win at Tottenham, adding further ballast in midfield and providing additional protection in front of an already excellent back four.
Mikel Arteta has built his team’s progress around a strong defence and they can thwart Atalanta.
La Dea are always exciting to watch, but while summer signing Mateo Retegui has netted four times in as many Serie A games, Gian Piero Gasperini’s side still struggles to play through teams that sit deep, something Arteta’s visitors are adept at.
A half-time stalemate would be no surprise
Both of Arsenal’s away victories this season – the 1-0 win at Spurs and August’s 2-0 success at Aston Villa – were tied at 0-0 at the break before seeing the Gunners kick on in the second half.
After finishing last season with the best defensive record in the Premier League, Arteta appears to have doubled down on keeping things tight.
On a big night for the home crowd in Bergamo, frustrating the hosts and then playing with more ambition after the interval looks like a valid plan for Arsenal.
After twice being goalless at the break and going on to win, another 0-0 in the half-time score market appeals at a decent price.
Corners an area to explore
A feature of Arsenal’s play is their success in defending and attacking corners. They are comfortable conceding them – dealing with Tottenham’s seven corners on Sunday without any real scares – and look to rack them up themselves, a tactic which resulted in Gabriel Magalhaes netting their winner in the north London derby from one of his team’s six.
The Gunners’ four league matches have averaged 9.25 corners, but it is worth noting that that number is brought down by only four being taken during their win at Villa Park and their other games have featured 10, 10 and 13.
Meanwhile, Atalanta’s five fixtures in all competitions have produced a median of 7.8 but with Retegui’s form, notably in the air, La Dea could look to force corners.
Similarly, should Arsenal sit deep and attempt to spring attacks on the break, recovering defenders could happily blast the ball behind in desperation.
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