Atalanta opened the group stage in the Champions League in Spain, where they managed to get the first points in the game with the winner of the Europa League. The match with Villarreal ended in a draw (2:2). The second stage brought the first victory to the Bergamascans. In the home game against Young Boys, the Italian team not without difficulty broke the resistance of Bern’s representatives (1:0). The away match against the red devils ended in defeat, which eventually brought four points and the third position in the standings. After 11 rounds of the current Serie A championship, the “queen of the provincials” chalked up five victories and four peaceful outcomes, which brought 19 points and the fifth position. In the last two duels, Gian Piero Gasperini’s men confidently beat Sampdoria away (3:1), followed by sharing the tournament points with Lazio (2:2). Today, Gosens, Jimcity, Pessina and Hatebur, whose leg is broken, will not be able to enter the field.
It was very difficult for Barcelona to enter the season without Lionel Messi and a huge number of injuries of key players also complicated the situation. Having unsuccessfully started in the championship, the blue garnet disappointed in the first rounds of the Champions League. In a home match with Bayern, Ronald Koeman’s team was defeated with a score 0:3 without any resistance. In the second round Barcelona clearly hoped to get hold of points in the match against Benfica, but in this meeting, Blaugranas was in for a failure. The Eagles scored three times and kept their goal locked. Barcelona won their first victory in the third round, beating Dynamo with a score 1:0 at home, but this victory does not allow them to rise above the third line. The 0:1 defeat to Rayo Vallecano in the 11th round was Koeman’s last at the helm of Barcelona. While the management is looking for a new mentor, the blue-garnet under the leadership of Sergi were unable to beat Alaves at home, having scored a 1:1 draw with an opponent.
