Having eked through to the knockout phase, Club Brugge will aim to take a first-leg lead in their Champions League playoff against Atalanta BC, when the clubs clash at Jan Breydelstadion on Wednesday.
While Brugge narrowly avoided elimination, La Dea almost claimed direct entry to the last 16, where the winners of this tie will play either Lille or Aston Villa.
Match preview
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Despite suffering a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City on the final matchday, Club Brugge negotiated the inaugural 36-team league phase to extend their Champions League journey.
Finishing up in 24th position - the final qualifying spot - the Belgian side beat Villa and Sporting Lisbon along the way and have already surpassed most expectations.
Losing to City finally ended Brugge's 20-match unbeaten run - which featured no fewer than 15 wins - but they survived and can now make just a second knockout-round appearance in the Champions League.
Fans of the Blauw-Zwart will hope their team make a much better attempt at progressing on this occasion, having been hammered 7-1 on aggregate by Benfica two years ago, when they tamely exited in the last 16.
Head coach Nicky Hayen helped Brugge become domestic champions for the 19th time in 2023-24 - claiming a fourth title in five years - and they are currently the closest challengers to Pro League leaders Genk.
Also into the Belgian Cup final, they ended a rare five-game winless streak by beating 10-man Leuven on Saturday, with Gustaf Nilsson netting his fifth goal in as many league games.
In fact, Hayen's men have failed to score in just one of their last 30 outings - against Juventus last month. Brugge have also played AC Milan this season, losing 3-1 at San Siro, and now their first meeting with another Italian club awaits.
Winless in 15 games against Serie A sides since a famous victory over Milan 22 years ago, they will aim to end that trend in midweek.
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While Wednesday's hosts only just made the top 24, Atalanta held a cherished top-eight place within their grasp until the final matchday - and they were close to claiming it back in the closing moments of last month's dramatic draw with Barcelona.
Despite twice battling back from behind at Montjuic, the Nerazzurri failed to find a late winner and ultimately dropped down to ninth spot, so they will now take part in the playoffs.
Having posted two wins by five-goal margins - and held both Barca and Arsenal to draws - last season's Europa League winners may feel hard done by, but they must now take the long route to reaching the last 16.
Gian Piero Gasperini's team are intent on getting that far for a third time in four Champions League appearances, and an improved defensive record suggests they might do so.
Better known for their attacking prowess - having scored a club-record 126 goals throughout 2024 - Atalanta conceded just six times in the league phase, which represents the fourth-best record overall. Furthermore, only Arsenal allowed fewer shots on target.
As a result, they have lost only once so far - at home to reigning champions Real Madrid - while beating Shakhtar Donetsk, Stuttgart and Young Boys on the road.
However, the Bergamo club's 15-match undefeated streak was recently ended, amid a sub-par start to 2025: top of Serie A at the turn of the year, they have now won just three of their last 11 games across all competitions, including defeat to Bologna in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals.
Now all but out of the title race, Atalanta at least secured their grip on third place as red-hot striker Mateo Retegui scored four of their five goals in Saturday's victory over Hellas Verona - and the Capocannoniere candidate will aim to bag more in Bruges.
Team News
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Club Brugge coach Nicky Hayen may be in the fortunate position of having a completely clean bill of health - in stark contrast to his opposite number.
Hayen has opted for Nordin Jackers in the Belgian Cup this season, but vastly experienced goalkeeper Simon Mignolet will again start behind a Brugge back line featuring 20-year-old Joel Ordonez.
The Colombian defender is the youngest player to complete every minute of every game in the Champions League so far this term. Indeed, only Charles De Ketelaere has ever played more minutes for the Blau-Zwart in Europe's top tournament while aged under 21.
The latter will surely start against his old team on Wednesday, having joined Club Brugge aged seven, scoring 26 first-team goals before joining Milan in 2022. De Ketelaere has been involved in nine Champions League strikes already this season, even outshining Atalanta's main marksman Mateo Retegui.
Odilon Kossounou made 55 appearances for Brugge between 2019 and 2021, winning two league titles, but he now features on La Dea's long injury list. Gianluca Scamacca and Giorgio Scalvini are both set to miss the rest of this season, while Sead Kolasinac, first-choice goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi and Europa League final hero Ademola Lookman also miss out.
Nevertheless, new signings Daniel Maldini and Stefan Posch have been registered for the knockout rounds and should be available.
Club Brugge possible starting lineup:
Mignolet; Seys, Mechele, Ordonez, De Cuyper; Jashari, Onyedika; Talbi, Vanaken, Tzolis; Jutgla
Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:
Patricio; Posch, Hien, Djimsiti; Bellanova, Ederson, De Roon, Ruggeri; De Ketelaere, Pasalic; Retegui
We say: Club Brugge 0-1 Atalanta BC
Although Club Brugge have proven tough to beat for several visitors, Atalanta are an impressive outfit away from home and can shut up shop when needed.
The Nerazzurri certainly have sufficient firepower to score at least once, and they should take a slim lead into next week's second leg.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
