Preview: Atalanta BC vs. Pafos FC - prediction, team news, lineups

Atalanta BC are the highest-ranked side in this year's Conference League, and the Italian outfit will aim to begin the league phase with a positive result against Pafos FC at Stadio di Bergamo.

The recent international break provided the reset Maurizio Sarri's men needed, with La Dea ending a three-match losing sequence by beating Venezia on Monday, and they will target back-to-back victories to avoid coming unstuck in Bergamo.

Match preview

New Atalanta boss Sarri has yet to establish any consistency since joining the club over the summer, as evidenced by their mixed results.

After starting the season with three consecutive wins across Serie A and Conference League qualifying, the Nerazzurri then slipped to domestic defeats against Roma, Cagliari and Juventus before the pause.

That hiatus was timely for the Bergamaschi, who responded with a 3-1 victory over Venezia, a side that entered matchday six without a point from their opening five games.

Sarri's men duly punished the promoted outfit, racing into a 3-0 lead inside the opening half-hour before allowing a consolation goal as the first half drew to a close.

Hoping that Monday's success provides the fillip for another winning run, UEFA's top-ranked side in the competition are nevertheless far from guaranteed victory against their Cypriot opponents.

Pafos made their European debut in the 2024-25 season and have not looked back since, participating in the Champions League for the first time last term before returning to this year's Conference League.

While Ricardo Sa Pinto may have preferred a maiden Europa League appearance, the Cypriot outfit suffered a narrow 4-3 aggregate defeat against Red Bull Salzburg in the third qualifying round, meaning they dropped into the playoff round of the third-tier competition, where they overcame Dinamo City 5-3 over two legs.

Having reached the last 16 in their debut European season in 2024-25, Sa Pinto will hope to at least emulate the Juan Carlos Carcedo-led team that progressed beyond the league phase.

Facing Atalanta on Thursday presents an uphill challenge for the visitors despite La Dea's indifferent form, particularly as they have also encountered difficulties away from home in Europe this season.

The Paphos-based side failed to score in Europa League qualifying defeats against Hajduk Split and Salzburg, losing 2-0 and 1-0 respectively, while they could only draw 1-1 with Dinamo City in the Conference League playoff round.

As such, it will be interesting to see whether Sa Pinto's men can produce a different version of themselves by stunning Sarri's side in Bergamo.

Atalanta BC form (all competitions):

Pafos FC form (all competitions):

Team News

Odilon Kossounou (hamstring), Kamaldeen Sulemana (knee) and Isak Hien (thigh) are all unavailable for La Dea's Conference League opener.

Nikola Krstovic is pushing for a start against the Cypriot side after scoring twice and providing an assist in Monday's 3-1 victory over bottom-placed Venezia.

If Krstovic starts, he will get the nod over Gianluca Scamacca, who has scored just once in five league appearances this season and twice in all competitions.

Lele may be the visitors' leading in-form attacking threat, as he enters matchday one after netting a brace in Sunday's 3-1 success over Anorthosis.

The Paphos-based club are without Jaja (ACL), Charalampos Kyriakidis (arm) and Jay Gorter (shoulder) because of injury.

Veteran centre-back David Luiz is expected to anchor Sa Pinto's backline, with the 39-year-old having featured in their previous European outings this season.

Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:

Carnesecchi; Bellanova, Kristensen, Scalvini, Kolasinac; Gaetano, Kessie, Ederson; De Ketelaere, Krstovic, Elmas

Pafos FC possible starting lineup:

Majecki; Zague, David Luiz, Mmaee, Ioannou; Pepe, Sunjic, Dragomir; Biel, Lele, Quina

We say: Atalanta BC 2-0 Pafos FC

Pafos have demonstrated considerable ambition during their rapid rise in European football, but their poor away results suggest that Thursday's assignment may prove beyond them.

Atalanta remain inconsistent under Sarri, although their superior individual quality should secure a controlled victory in their Conference League opener.

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