The second tie in the League Phase of the Champions League brings Club Brugge to Italian Bergamo. On Tuesday, Atalanta BC awaits, a team bringing fond memories to many a Club fan after last year's brilliant double bill with the Italians in the Play-Off round. The two teams have gone into this season's CL with separate results, as Club convincingly beat AS Monaco, while Atalanta lost its match against PSG.
THE FIXTURE
The game against Atalanta will be the second time this year the two teams cross swords in the Champions League. The game will be Club's 379th in Europe, and the 114th featuring in the UEFA Champions League. For Atalanta this will be their 90th fixture in Europe, in their fifth Champions League bid.
Club Brugge hit the ground running in the League Phase, sending off AS Monaco 4-1, and putting Club in third spot so far behind Eintracht Frankfurt and PSG. Goals were score by four different players, with Nicolò Tresoldi and Mamadou Diakhon both scoring on their UCL debut. Claiming his 11th goal in the CL, Hans Vanaken now shares that record with Gert Verheyen in the all-time Club ranking. With 26 attempts at goal, Club's attacking prowess was teeming, and only outdone by Real Madrid on MD1. Other debutants were Carlos Forbs, Nordin Jackers and Aleksandar Stanković.
Club has met earlier on with Atalanta, and what a trip that was. In February of this year, Club ousted the Italians after a late 2-1 win at Jan Breydel, and an impressive 1-3 away at Bergamo, goals courtesy of Chemsdine Talbi (2x) and Ferran Jutglà. Two wins that also chimed in the end of a winless run against Italian teams (15 games).
Club Brugge traditionally suffers on Italian turf, having only claimed 3 wins in 13 earlier European games away from home. It also lost 7 times and drew on three occasions.
THE OPPONENT
Not the best of starts for Atalanta BC this Champions League season, suffering a 4-0 defeat at the hands of CL holders Paris Saint-Germain, putting them in the penultimate spot in the table so far. With 13 attempts on target conceded, a negative CL record has been set. Despite the defeat, Atalanta is still a team to reckon with, boasting a lot of quality and experience, and a solid home reputation. A third spot in last season's Serie A assured Atalanta of its direct spot in the UEFA Champions League.
The team is still unbeaten in the Serie A, having beaten both Torino FC and US Lecce, and earning a draw against AC Pisa, Parma Calcio and Juventus. Over the weekend, Atalanta took the lead against Juventus through Kamaldeen Sulemana, but conceded a second half goal to keep it at 1-1. With nine points so far, Atalanta is now in 6th place, three points behind leaders AC Milan, SSC Napoli and AS Roma.
Some players will be a bit more familiar to more Club fans. In his third season at the Italian side, Charles De Ketelaere will not be meeting with Club. He is out injured. Odilon Kossounou, another former Club player, will be available. Fun fact: both players made their debut for Club in the same game, as Club faced Francs Borain exactly six years ago. Up front, Atalanta will be putting its chips on Nikola Krstović and Kamaldeen Sulemana, both with two goals to their name so far this season.
Home base of Atalanta is the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia, carrying the sponsored name New Balance Arena as of this season. The stadium has seen a recent renovation, and can now hold 24,950 fans. Atalanta is now setting the stage for two home games. After Club, Slavia Prague will be paying the Italians a visit.
MILESTONES
- Joel Ordóñez is up for a 90th official match for Club Brugge, and a 25th in Europe.
- Ludovit Reis can make his 10th appearance for Blue & Black.
- Hugo Siquet can play the 10th European match of his career (1 for Standard, 1 for SC Freiburg and 7 for Club Brugge).
THE MAN IN BLACK
A Norwegian referee has been appointed for the Champions League match between Atalanta BC and Club Brugge: Mr. Espen Eskåsaang, a 37-year-old official from Oslo, has been handling the whistle at the highest level in Norway for 10 years and has been part of the international refereeing corps since 2017. He is one of the UEFA Elite referees, the highest category within European arbitration. It will be his first European match featuring Club Brugge, although he has previously been in charge of a Conference League match with Union and a Nations League match of the Red Devils against Italy.
Mr. Eskåsaang will be assisted by his compatriots Mr. Jan Erik Engan and Mr. Isaak Elias Bashevkin, Mr. Rohit Saggi acting as fourth official. VAR will be handled by Mr. Bastian Dankert (Germany), assisted by Mr. Sören Storks. The UEFA referee observer is Frenchman Mr. Stéphane Lannoy and the UEFA representative is England's Mr. Jenni Kennedy. It is the 13th time a Club Brugge European match will be officiated by a Norwegian referee.