BERGAMO, ITALY – JANUARY 21: Gianluca Scamacca of Atalanta scores his team’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD7 match between Atalanta BC and Athletic Club at Stadio di Bergamo on January 21, 2026 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
Atalanta are forced to make big changes for the Champions League play-off, so Gianluca Scamacca is supported by Nicola Zalewski against Borussia Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy and Jobe Bellingham.
It kicks off at the Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund at 20.00 GMT (21.00 CET).
The second leg of this play-off for a place in the Round of 16 will be on February 25.
La Dea had been on the verge of direct qualification for the Champions League Round of 16 after a great run of four wins in the first six games, including victories over Chelsea, Olympique Marseille and Eintracht Frankfurt.
However, back-to-back defeats to Athletic Club and Union Saint-Gilloise proved costly.
Raffaele Palladino is forced into changes, as both Charles De Ketelaere and Giacomo Raspadori will be out of action for at least a month.
It means Gianluca Scamacca rushes his return from injury to start, supported by Nicola Zalewski and Mario Pasalic.
Ederson and Marten de Roon bring their experience to pull the midfield strings.
Borussia Dortmund are missing Filippo Mane, Emre Can, Nico Schlotterbeck and Nicklas Sule for the first leg due to injury.
They too had been flying a lot higher in Europe, including a 4-4 draw away to Juventus, 4-1 victory with Athletic Club and 4-0 win over Villarreal, but crumbled with one point from the last three against Bodo/Glimt, Tottenham and Inter.
Dortmund won their last six Bundesliga matches on the bounce.
Guirassy is their top scorer with 15 competitive goals this season, followed by Julian Brandt on 10, Karim Adeyemi and Maximilian Beier with seven each.
Borussia Dortmund vs. Atalanta line-ups
Borussia Dortmund: Kobel; Reggiani, Anton, Bensebaini; Ryerson, F Nmecha, Bellingham, Svensson; Beier, Brandt; Guirassy
Dortmund bench: Ostrzinski, Meyer, Yan Couto, Salih Ozcan, Chukwuemeka, Sabitzer, Fabio Silva, Adeyemi, Inacio, Kabar, Krevsun, Benkara
Atalanta: Carnesecchi; Kolasinac, Djimsiti, Kossounou; Zappacosta, De Roon, Ederson, Bernasconi; Pasalic, Zalewski; Scamacca
Atalanta bench: Rossi, Sportiello, Hien, Bakker, Musah, Sulemana, Samardzic, Bellanova, Scalvini, Vavassori, Ahanor, Krstovic
Ref: Gozubuyuk (NED)
1
24
26
49
5
3
8
10
7
14
9
29
19
77
47
3
23
13
8
15
59
9
20
2
27
6
33
17
31
21
42
47
40
45
10
16
31
57
42
5
90
7
4
6
69
45
