Atalanta vs Arsenal Bet Builder Tips: Things could spill over in Bergamo battle

Reigning Europa League champions Atalanta make the step up in class to the Champions League this season, and their first assignment is a tough one as they host Arsenal at the Gewiss Stadium on Thursday (20:00, TNT Sports 1).

Read on for my Atalanta vs Arsenal bet builder tips, with two players from each side combining for a 25/1 shot in Bergamo...

Football Odds

Atalanta vs Arsenal Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main Atalanta vs Arsenal page on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices on this match.

Raoul Bellanova (ATA) 1+ Shots

My first selection of this four-leg bet builder requires Atalanta wing-back Raoul Bellanova to take at least one shot. The 24-year-old started the season at Torino, where he excelled in 2023/24, playing 88 minutes of Il Toro's 2-2 draw with AC Milan on the opening weekend of the Serie A campaign.

However, the Italy international was quickly snapped up by Atalanta, who paid £16.9m for his services.

Bellanova is by no means a prolific scorer; in fact, he's found the net just twice across the last three seasons and has forged more of a reputation for his deliveries into the box, registering seven Serie A assists last term.

His lack of goals doesn't appear to be for the want of trying, though, as he averaged 0.9 shots per game in the 2023/24 Serie A campaign, while he has already shot twice in the league this season, hitting the post for Torino against Milan and forcing a save from Fiorentina goalkeeper David de Gea in Sunday's 3-2 victory at the Gewiss Stadium.

Bellanova should get more opportunities to fly forward and unleash efforts under Gian Piero Gasperini at La Dea, with the differences in style between Atalanta and Torino stark, as highlighted in the 66 goals the former scored in Serie A last season compared to the latter's 42.

The likes of Robin Gosens, Hans Hateboer, and Timothy Castagne have all enjoyed productive campaigns in front of goal as wing-backs under Gasperini, particularly Gosens who struck nine league goals in 2019/20 and went two better in 2020/21.

Meanwhile, Davide Zappacosta - flitting between the left and right-hand side last season - averaged 1.2 shots per game in Serie A and 0.8 shots per game in the Europa League.

There's a lot of work to get through as an Atalanta wing-back, but also a lot of fun to be had, which is why nears EVS on Bellanova to take at least one shot on Thursday looks like a great price and is a good way to kick off this bet builder.

Kai Havertz (ARS) 2+ Fouls

Secondly, I'm backing one of Arsenal's main men - Kai Havertz - to commit at least two fouls in Bergamo. The 25-year-old has enjoyed a decent start to the season, scoring twice in his first four Premier League appearances as he looks to build on an encouraging first half of the calendar year that saw the Germany international really nail down a spot as the Gunners' starting striker.

Thirteen Premier League goals in 2023/24 went a long way to convincing supporters that Mikel Arteta hadn't made a mistake in signing him from London rivals Chelsea, where he had flattered to deceive following a big-money move from Bayer Leverkusen.

However, his record in the Champions League was much less impressive as he struck just once in 10 appearances, nine of which he started. Nevertheless, Havertz proved to be even more combative in Europe than he was in England, and his all-round play helped Arsenal advance to the quarter-finals, where they came unstuck against Bayern Munich.

Havertz averaged 1.3 fouls per game in the Premier League last season but that average was upped to 2.4 per game in the Champions League, with the German committing at least two fouls in five of his side's six group games.

The 6ft4in forward kicked off the current campaign by conceding two free-kicks against Wolverhampton Wanderers and doubled his foul count to four at Aston Villa before settling down somewhat, making just one foul in games against Brighton & Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur.

In a big Champions League away game, I'm expecting Havertz to return to his usual levels and commit at least two fouls in Italy on Thursday.

Isak Hien (ATA) Carded

Next, we move on to player cards, starting with Atalanta's Swedish centre-back, Isak Hien. The 25-year-old is a physical defender, as evidenced by his Serie A season foul count. He averaged 1.6 fouls per game for Hellas Verona in 2022/23, 1.1 per game for Atalanta in 2023/24, and is already up to 1.7 per game this term, while in a Uefa Nations League clash for his country in Azerbaijan earlier this month, he made three fouls.

Hien's roughshod tactics were also on full display in last season's Europa League as he averaged 1.7 fouls per game across his six appearances in the knockout stage.

The 6ft 3in defender is likely to be in direct contact with Havertz on Thursday, and as well as conceding free-kicks, the Arsenal attacker also knows how to win them, being fouled an average of two times per game in the Premier League this season, and 1.4 times per game in the 2023/24 Champions League campaign.

Hien was booked in Atalanta's victory over Fiorentina on Sunday, his second yellow card of the term after also incurring the wrath of the referee in a 2-1 loss at Torino, while his six outings in last season's Europa League saw him cautioned in half of them, including both matches against Liverpool in the quarter-finals.

A physical battle looks set to play out between him and Havertz on Thursday, and the former might well end up taking alternative action to deal with the threat of the German and his teammates.

Thomas Partey (ARS) Carded

The second player card selection comes from the visitors' midfield, where Thomas Partey is expected to start for the fifth game running. The 31-year-old has suffered with injuries during his time in north London, particularly last season when he played just 14 times in the Premier League - picking up three yellow cards - and once in the Champions League, being booked just three minutes after coming on as an 86th-minute substitute against Bayern.

Partey has already been scribbled into the referee's notebook this term for a free-kick he gave away in a 1-1 draw with Brighton and he's averaging two fouls per game in the Premier League, which makes him a player of consideration in the card market ahead of a trip to Bergamo, where he will be tasked with containing the talents of Ademola Lookman, Charles De Ketelaere and co.

Offers

Place an In-Play single bet of £10 or more at odds of 1/2+ on any Champions League game on Tuesday or Wednesday and get £5 in Free Bets to use In-Play on Thursday’s Champions League games.

Build your own Bet Builder bet (3/1+) of 4+ legs on Atalanta v Arsenal and get 50% of your stake back in Free Bets if you lose. (Credited within 24 hours).

We will be Top Price or joint Top Price on Arsenal to beat Atalanta with selected bookmakers using oddschecker.com for the comparison. (Available from 09:30 Thursday).

Double Delight & Hat-Trick Heaven: Place a pre-match single bet on the first goalscorer market and get DOUBLE or TREBLE the odds if your winning First Goalscorer bet scores a 2nd and 3rd.

You can read all our latest Football Betting Tips at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.