Atalanta and Chelsea will be keen on continuing their unbeaten runs in the UEFA Champions League when they clash at the Gewiss Stadium on Tuesday.

The 2025/26 UEFA Champions League will resume with Matchday 6 on Tuesday. The action on the day will kick-start with two early fixtures before ending with seven simultaneous matches, including Atalanta vs Chelsea at the Gewiss Stadium.

Atalanta and Chelsea have been two of the most impressive teams in the UEFA Champions League this term. Both clubs started with defeats on the opening night before embarking on a four-match unbeaten streak. With a few big-hitters dropping points on Matchday 5, they will hope another positive result can help them rise in the standings.

However, things have not been hunky-dory for Atalanta in Serie A, even though they have lost only four of their 14 outings thus far. With La Dea managing only three victories, they have fallen to 12th on the table. The aspirational Italian giants have won only one of their last nine top-flight games, with the run sending them tumbling down the table.

On the other hand, Chelsea’s momentum has snapped in the last ten days, even though they produced a spirited performance in the 1-1 draw with Arsenal. However, the 3-1 defeat to Leeds United and the goalless stalemate with Bournemouth have sent Enzo Maresca’s charges outside the top four in the Premier League.

Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League clash between Atalanta and Chelsea will be the first-ever match featuring Atalanta and Chelsea. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the maiden meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

Atalanta

Raffaele Palladino has no new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Atalanta manager will be bereft of the services of only two first-team players vs Chelsea on Tuesday.

Mitchel Bakker (ACL) and Kamaldeen Sulemana (muscle) are the only players in the treatment room this midweek. Otherwise, Palladino has a full-strength squad for the game against Chelsea on Tuesday.

Marco Carnesecchi is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Atalanta lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of him vs Chelsea on Tuesday. The central defensive unit will feature Odilon Kossounou, Isak Hien, and Berat Djimsiti. Meanwhile, Raoul Bellanova and Nicola Zalewski will be the two wing-backs.

The wide duo will protect the centre-backs and provide width in the final third. As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Ederson and Mario Pasalic in the central areas. Finally, Gianluca Scamacca will lead the line for Atalanta against Chelsea, with Ademola Lookman and Charles De Ketelaere being the supporting cast for the home side.

Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi; Kossounou, Hien, Djimsiti; Bellanova, Ederson, Pasalic, Zalewski; De Ketelaere, Lookman; Scamacca 

Chelsea

Unlike his counterpart in the Atalanta dugout, Enzo Maresca has received a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of the trip to the Gewiss Stadium. The Chelsea manager will be without five first-team players on Tuesday.

Liam Delap is the latest absentee after picking up a shoulder injury this past weekend against Bournemouth. The English striker has joined Levi Colwill (knee), Dario Essugo (hamstring), and Romeo Lavia (thigh) in the treatment room. Meanwhile, Mykhailo Mudryk will continue his suspension after failing a doping test several months ago. However, Moises Caicedo is available, as his ban is valid only in the Premier League.

Robert Sanchez will take his usual spot between the sticks, with Chelsea lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Atalanta on Tuesday. The backline will feature Malo Gusto, Josh Acheampong, Trevoh Chalobah, and Jorrel Hato.

As for the midfield unit, Andrey Santos will likely line up alongside Moises Caicedo in the double pivot, with Enzo Fernandez reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Joao Pedro will spearhead the Chelsea attack against Atalanta, with Pedro Neto and Estevao Willian being the two wide attackers.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Acheampong, Chalobah, Hato; Caicedo, Santos; Estevao, Enzo Fernandez, Neto; Joao Pedro

Key Stats

• Atalanta and Chelsea will meet for the first time in European competition. The Serie A giants have only won one of their previous seven games against English sides in the UEFA Champions League (D3 L3). Saturday’s clash will be Chelsea’s first away game against an Italian opponent since October 2022, in a 2-0 victory away to AC Milan. Before that game, the West London outfit had only won one of their first ten matches away to Italian sides in the UEFA Champions League (D3 L6): 4-0 vs Lazio in November 2003.
• Atalanta have kept eight clean sheets in their 15 UEFA Champions League games since the start of last season. Among teams to have played in both campaigns, only Inter Milan (55% – 11/20) have a higher clean sheet rate than Atalanta (53%).
• Chelsea are winless in their last four away games in the UEFA Champions League (D1 L3), last going five in a row without a victory in February 2012 (5). After a loss to Bayern Munich (1-3) and a draw versus Qarabag (2-2), Enzo Maresca could become just the third Chelsea manager not to win any of his first three away matches in charge in the competition, after Andre Villas-Boas (2011/12) and Luiz Felipe Scolari (2008/09).
• All six of Atalanta’s UEFA Champions League goals have come in the second half of games, with only them and Kairat Almaty failing to score in the opening 45 minutes this term. La Dea scored three goals in a five-minute second-half spell at Eintracht Frankfurt last time out.
• Charles De Ketelaere has been involved in 11 goals in his 11 most recent UEFA Champions League appearances for Atalanta (G5 A6), despite a recent run of six games without a goal or assist in the competition (ended with two involvements against Eintracht Frankfurt last time out).

Player to Watch

Estevao Willian

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While Enzo Fernandez, Ademola Lookman, and Gianluca Scamacca were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Estevao Willian as the Player to Watch for Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League clash between Atalanta and Chelsea at the Gewiss Stadium.

The Brazilian wonderkid is Chelsea’s top scorer in the UEFA Champions League this season with three goals. It is the joint-most goals a teenager has scored for a Premier League side in a single campaign in the competition, level with Wayne Rooney in 2004/05. He will be eager to continue his fine run in the Champions League this midweek.

Prediction

Atalanta 1-2 Chelsea

Atalanta may have struggled in Serie A, but they have been excellent in the UEFA Champions League, and they will take the game to Chelsea on Tuesday. However, Moises Caicedo’s return will bolster the away side’s prospects, and they will have a more solid base in the middle of the park.

While we expect a closely-contested affair, the hosts may not have enough quality to clinch anything from the game. Enzo Fernandez and Joao Pedro will deliver the goods in the final third, and The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 win for Enzo Maresca and his charges.