Manchester United travel to Italy to face Atalanta in an exciting Champions League encounter on Wednesday. The two teams have faced each other a week prior and United were the ultimate winners of the hard-fought contest.
Atalanta is currently placed in the 5th spot in the Series A table after they drew (2-2) against Maurizio Sarri’s Lazio side last week. Ciro Immobile and Pedro’s goals were cancelled out by goals from Marten de Roon and Duvan Zapata.
Manchester United meanwhile returns back to winning ways after a comfortable victory against Tottenham Hotspur. Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani, and Marcus Rashford were enough to overcome Spurs.
Must Read– Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United: Match Report
🔜 Attentions are firmly fixed on matchday 4️⃣ of our #UCL campaign…#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) November 1, 2021
United are currently placed at the top of the group table with six points from three games and another victory could boost their chances of qualifying to the next round.
Atalanta vs Manchester United: Head to head
Atalanta travelled to Old Trafford a week prior to confronting Solskjaer’s side and returned back empty-handed. A spectacular second-half performance from United ensured that Atalanta doesn’t take away all three points.
Mario Pasalic and Merih Demiral scored quick goals for Atalanta in the first half. United responded well in the second half and completely dominated Gasperini’s side. Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Maguire, and Marcus Rashford sealed the match.
They played against each other only once in such a competitive league. Another big match could make their match even more interesting.
Atalanta’s current form in Serie A: D, W, D, W, L
Manchester United’s current form in the Premier League: W, L, L, D, L
Atalanta vs Manchester United: Team News
Atalanta:
Gian Piero Gasperini could have his whole squad with him against Manchester United except for some big names. Robin Gosens is one of the star players to miss out as he recovers from his thigh injury. He scored 11 goals and 8 assists in 32 appearances last season and his absence will be felt against United.
Other than that, Hans Hateboer, Matteo Pessina, Rafael Toloi, and Berat Djimsiti are set to miss out.
Injured: Hans Hateboer, Matteo Pessina, Rafael Toloi, Robin Gosens, and Berat Djimsiti
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Manchester United:
Meanwhile, Manchester United has all their best layers available on Wednesday and Solskjaer will be happy to have a fit squad with him. The only player who could be rested is Anthony Martial. The French striker is still recovering and could miss out.
Injured: None
Doubtful: Anthony Martial
Suspended: None
Opposition Key Man:
Opponent Key Man: Duván Zapata
The Colombian striker is in outrageous form for Atalanta and has scored six goals and four assists in just 12 appearances. He has also scored in Atalanta’s last two league games against Sampdoria and Lazio.
Although he was quiet in the first match against Manchester United, you cannot write him off. With the return of Raphael Varane, Solskjaer will look to keep a close eye on the versatile striker.
Maguire and Varane will be busy tracking Zapata and his attacking moves.
Our Predictions for the match:
We expect Solskjaer to make a master plan to defeat Atalanta again. His team would look to prevent another disastrous first-half and dominate the Italian outfit from the very first minute.
Atalanta may respond with a goal and it will be a really tight contest to watch. Manchester United will grab the victory by a 2-1 scoreline.
