Date: November 23, 2021
Time: 21:00 CET, 15:00 EST
Tuesday’s matchup for Atalanta against the Swiss side practically requires Atalanta to come away with three points if La Dea have any hopes of advancing to the knockout stages of the Champion’s League. With Atalanta currently sitting at five points and two points behind Villarreal and Manchester United – a victory ensures that Atalanta at worst is tied on points with its direct rivals. Or even better, an Atalanta victory and a Villarreal draw or loss guarantees that Atalanta can advance on the final matchday with only a draw against the Spanish side.
But first things first, Atalanta has to deal with this week’s business. Young Boys form has been uneven recently with only one victory in its past six combined matches. The Bern side did have the good fortune of a scheduling quirk as it saw its weekend math against Basel postponed. Not having played since the 6th of November, Young Boys will no doubt be rested, but will they be rusty? Either way it shouldn’t matter for La Dea – but it could be a prime opportunity for Atalanta to strike fast before the Swiss side finds its match legs again.
BSC Young Boys Player to Watch – Christian Fassnacht
Every Pennsylvanian’s favorite pre-Ash Wednesday delicacy did not partake in the action the first time both clubs faced off. And to Young Boy’s detriment, the Swiss side was often devoid of offensive ideas with its best midfielder (and most lethal scorer this year) absent. Fassnacht can be a difference maker when on the pitch, evidenced by his seven league goals this year from the midfield. Similar to how de Roon was able to prevent Kovalenko and the Spezia midfield from finding a groove last Saturday, Atalanta’s pivot can put a clamp on the match doing much the same with Fassnacht.
Atalanta Passione’s Predicted Starting XI
There should be very few changes to the formation Atalanta used on Saturday against Spezia, save for Remo Freuler entering in the midfield. As a Swiss national, Freuler should have familiarity with Young Boys expected midfield of Christian Fassnacht and Michel Aebischer – making him an obvious choice to suit up in the midfield.
Merih Demiral did not feature against Spezia, but he probably remains the first option off the bench until one of the three staples of Atalanta’s defense show a dip in form. And with how the season has played out so far, all three have put very few feet wrong so far this season.
Up front, Mario Pasalic and Duvan Zapata have to be locks to start, making Ruslan Malinovskyi the only option to question. Josip Ilicic was not great last time out, and consecutive starts in four days may be too much on the aging Slovenian. Plus Gian Piero Gasperini may want him as fresh as possible for Saturday against Juventus….
Atalanta Passione’s Three Keys to Three Points
Get out of the gates quickly- As mentioned above, Young Boys has not played a competitive match in three weeks, so Atalanta should be relentless in preventing Young Boys from growing into the game. Just like the Villarreal match that Atalanta dominated for the first fifteen minutes, a similar display from La Dea could put the game out of question rather quickly if the strikers are clinical.
Win the aerial battle on defense- It remains to seen whether Jordan Pefok or Wilfried Kanga will get the starting nod for Young Boys. Regardless, Atalanta has to ensure that neither target man wins the aerial battle against the backline. Pefok may not be as much of a concern, but Kaga was a handful in his limited minutes, winning three of his four aerial duels, and in general being a general nuisance in hold up play.
Overload the right side– Rafael Toloi was immense in the attack third last time out, and an offensive triumvirate of Toloi, Davide Zappacosta, and Malinovskyi all putting in chances for Zapata and Pasalic to convert. Atalanta hasn’t had the same prowess to overload without Toloi, but with the naturalized Italian back in action – the attacking options all marauding down the right hand side could prove to be too much for Young Boys.
A win on Tuesday and Atalanta is one step closer to maintaining its impressive form in the last three years of Champion’s League. Its impossible to ignore that Atalanta has Juventus on the road for its next fixture, which naturally makes Tuesday’s match against the (for lack of a better term) minnow of Group F an easy one to take for granted. But as Young Boys’s home victory against Manchester United proves – no game is a gimme. Atalanta no doubt knows this by now, and the knowledge that La Dea controls its own destiny in the group is hopefully to have the boys firing out of the gate. As always, Forza Dea!!!
