Club Brugge vs Atalanta

Atalanta’s quest to reach the Champions League round of 16 commences at the Jan Breydel Stadium against Club Brugge. 

Club Brugge defied expectations in the newly formatted league phase to reach the Champions League knockout stages for the second time in three years. Despite progressing from the lowest qualifying spot following a 3-1 defeat at Manchester City on matchday eight, Nicky Hayen’s charges should take the field in high spirits. Indeed, they squeezed past domestic rivals OH Leuven at the weekend (1-0) to halt a dismal five-match winless run in all competitions (D3, L2). Though that win sets them up nicely for this fixture, Club Brugge must fight history to progress as they’ve failed to win any of their 15 European meetings with Italian opposition since 2003 (D6, L9), including winless outings against AC Milan (1-3) and Juventus (0-0) in this season’s league phase.

In the meantime, high-flying Atalanta bagged 5+ goals for the sixth time this season in a 5-1 rout of Hellas Verona in Serie A last weekend, arresting a three-match winless run in competitive action (D2, L1). Gian Piero Gasperini’s side missed out on a coveted top-eight finish by an inch as a 2-2 draw at Barcelona on matchday eight left them a point adrift of the automatic qualification spots. Therefore, last season’s Europa League winners must navigate this tie to reach the Champions League round of 16 for the first time since 2020/21. Playing on the road shouldn’t faze ‘La Dea,’ considering they’ve emerged victorious from eight of their last 13 Champions League travels, losing just twice in that sequence (D3).