Atalanta look to Papu Gomez in their first Europa League game for 27 years, hosting Wayne Rooney’s rich Everton.
It kicks off at 18.00 UK time (17.00 GMT), follow the build-up and action from this game, Austria Vienna-Milan and Vitesse-Lazio on the LIVEBLOG.
Atalanta look to Papu Gomez in their first Europa League game for 27 years, hosting Wayne Rooney’s rich Everton.
It kicks off at 18.00 UK time (17.00 GMT), follow the build-up and action from this game, Austria Vienna-Milan and Vitesse-Lazio on the LIVEBLOG.
Because the Stadio Azzurri d’Italia in Bergamo does not meet UEFA requirements, the Orobici will be playing their continental home games at the Mapei Stadium in Reggio-Emilia, which usually hosts Sassuolo.
Last season Gian Piero Gasperini’s men shocked Serie A by finishing fourth and hope to cause more surprises outside of Italy too.
However, they sold several star names – Franck Kessie, Andrea Conti and Roberto Gagliardini – which has seen them stutter so far this term.
Leonardo Spinazzola and Robin Gosens are both out of action, leaving no available left-wing-backs, while creative wild card Josip Ilicic is also injured with a hip issue.
Alejandro ‘Papu’ Gomez is the captain and leading goalscorer, so he starts with Andrea Petagna, but Jasmin Kurtic is benched in favour of midfield enforcer Marten De Roon.
Timothy Castagne moves to the left flank instead with Hans Hateboer on the right, with Jose Luis Palomino rather than Mattia Caldara.
Atalanta are undoubtedly the minnows in this group, which also includes Olympique Lyonnais and Apollon Limassol.
They begin by hosting Premier League giants Everton, who spent big on the transfer market after selling Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United.
Rooney has returned to his hometown club and starts tonight with Gylfi Sigurdsson and Nikola Vlasic supporting 20-year-old striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Irish midfielder James McCarthy is the only absentee for Coach Ronald Koeman, while England international goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is rested in favour of ex-Roma shot-stopper Maarten Stekelenburg.
Cuco Martina struggled in his last game, so is dropped.
The Toffees squeezed past Hajduk Split in the preliminary round, 3-1 on aggregate, and have lost their last two Premiership games to Chelsea and Tottenham without scoring.
They are without a victory in four matches, since beating Hajduk 2-0 in Liverpool on August 17.
Everton don’t have a good record on Italian soil, losing all three visits to the Peninsula. They’ve only won one of their six meetings with Serie A sides (2-0 over Fiorentina in the 2007-08 UEFA Cup), failing to score in five of them.
Atalanta are technically unbeaten in five European home fixtures, winning two, since a 2-1 defeat to Mechelen in the 1987-88 Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final.
Atalanta: Berisha; Toloi, Palomino, Masiello; Hateboer, Cristante, De Roon, Freuler, Castagne; Petagna, Gomez
Atalanta bench: Gollini, Caldara, Kurtic, Bastoni, Haas, Orsolini, Cornelius
Everton: Stekelenburg; Holgate, Jagielka, Keane, Baines; Schneiderlin, Besic; Rooney, Vlasic, Sigurdsson; Calvert-Lewin
Everton bench: Pickford, Williams, Martina, Mirallas, Gueye, Klaassen, Sandro Ramirez
Ref: Bezbodorov (RUS)