Nigeria Forward, Ademola Lookman is eagerly anticipating Atalanta’s upcoming UEFA Champions League clash with Arsenal, following their 3-2 victory over Fiorentina on Sunday.
The Gunners are set to kick off a challenging start in the revamped Champions League with an away game against Atalanta on Thursday. Last season, Arsenal, under Mikel Arteta, made significant progress in Europe’s elite competition, reaching their first quarter-final since 2010, before being eliminated by Bayern Munich.
However, Lookman, confident in his team’s readiness, said, “Arsenal are a very strong team, and I know what to expect from them. Playing against a team of that level is always a difficult challenge, but we are ready,” he told DAZN. “We earned our place in the Champions League through a great season, and we want to prove we deserve to be here.”
Atalanta, who triumphed over Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final in May, poses a tough test for Arsenal, who will also face Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan in the group stages.
The Gunners, however, are dealing with injury concerns, including doubts over Bukayo Saka’s fitness, as well as the absences of captain Martin Odegaard, and new signings Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino. Saka was substituted late in their win over Tottenham on Sunday, raising questions about his availability, while Odegaard is expected to be sidelined for a few weeks.
Atalanta, meanwhile, welcomed the return of Berat Djimsiti and Nicolo Zaniolo for their win over Fiorentina, along with former Arsenal defender Sead Kolasinac. However, they will still be without Rafael Toloi, Ben Godfrey, Giorgio Scalvini, and Gianluca Scamacca.
