Preview: Atalanta Hosts Athletic Club in Champions League Clash

BERGAMO, Italy (Interstat) — Atalanta will host Athletic Club of Spain in a UEFA Champions League group stage match on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, at Gewiss Stadium.

The Italian side enters the European fixture in strong domestic form, having lost only once in its last eight Serie A matches. Atalanta (6-3-1 in last 10 overall) is coming off a 1-1 draw with Pisa on Jan. 16 but had secured consecutive league wins over Torino and Bologna prior. Its most relevant recent European result was a 2-1 home victory over England’s Chelsea FC on Dec. 9.

Athletic Club arrives from Bilbao seeking its first Champions League win of the campaign. The Spanish club has drawn its last two European matches, 0-0 against both Paris Saint-Germain at home on Dec. 10 and Slavia Praha away on Nov. 25. Its only group stage victory this season was a 3-1 win over Qarabag on Oct. 22. Athletic (1-3-2 in Champions League play) has struggled offensively in the competition, failing to score in four of its six matches.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, the projected final score is a 1-0 victory for Atalanta.

The match will be the first competitive meeting between the two clubs. Atalanta will look to leverage its potent attack, which has produced multiple goals in five of its last ten games across all competitions. Athletic Club will rely on a defense that has recorded clean sheets in two of its last three Champions League outings.

For Atalanta, the contest is the first of two crucial European fixtures, with a trip to Belgium’s RU Saint-Gilloise looming on Jan. 28. Athletic Club will return to San Mamés next week to host Portugal’s Sporting CP on the same date, a critical match for its knockout stage aspirations.

Kickoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. local time (2000 GMT).