Club Brugge vs Atalanta: Preview, predictions and lineups

Atalanta visit Bruges for the first leg of their Champions League play-off against Club Brugge on Wednesday evening.

Gian Piero Gasperini's side ranked among the more impressive teams in the league phase, losing just once, but three draws meant they missed out on a desired top eight berth by a mere point. Their 2-2 draw with Barcelona on Matchday 8 was an excellent result in isolation, but it opened the door for Bayer Leverkusen, Lille, and Aston Villa to beat them to the round of 16.

They head into Wednesday's first leg having thrashed Hellas Verona 5-0 in Serie A at the weekend. A stuttering start to the new year has seen them lose ground in the Scudetto race, however.

Club Brugge squeezed into the play-offs on goal difference thanks to Paris Saint-Germain beating Stuttgart 4-1 on the final league phase matchday. Brugge were beaten 3-1 at Manchester City last time out in Europe, but their 11-point haul proved enough to see them advance.

Here is 90min's guide to Wednesday's Champions League play-off first leg.

What time does Club Brugge vs Atalanta kick-off?

• Location: Bruges, Belgium
• Stadium: Jan Breydelstadion
• Date: Wednesday 12 February
• Kick-off: 17:45 GMT / 12:45 ET / 09:45 PT
• Referee: Halil Umut Meler (TUR)
• VAR: Pol van Boekel (NED)

Club Brugge vs Atalanta head-to-head record

This is the first competitive fixture between Club Brugge and Atalanta.

Current form (all competitions)

How to watch Club Brugge vs Atalanta on TV - UK and US

Club Brugge team news

Nicky Hayen should have a full complement of players available for Tuesday's first leg.

We saw Brugge's dynamic and speedy frontline cause Man City issues in their final league phase outing, and we could see an unchanged starting XI from the Etihad. Brugge faded after Hayen turned to his bench.

Gustaf Nilsson scored the game's only goal in Brugge's 1-0 domestic win at the weekend but is likely to drop to the bench in favour of Ferran Jutgla. Hugo Vetlesen is also vying for minutes in the middle of the park.

Club Brugge predicted lineup vs Atalanta

Club Brugge predicted lineup vs Atalanta (4-2-3-1): Mignolet; Seys, Ordonez, Mechele; De Cuyper; Onyedika, Vetlesen; Taibi, Vanaken, Tzolis, Jutgla.

Atalanta team news

Rui Patricio has enjoyed a run in the Atalanta XI with Marco Carnesecchi dealing with a muscle injury which could rule him out of Tuesday's game. The former Wolves goalkeeper completed a Serie A shutout at the weekend in a dominant Atalanta win.

Ademola Lookman is dealing with a knee issue, while Giorgio Scalvini is nursing a shoulder injury. Both are doubts for the first leg but the former should be back next week. Daniel Maldini has almost immediately joined the injury list after arriving in January.

Sead Kolasinac and Odilon Kossounou are Gasperini's other injury concerns in defence.

Atalanta predicted lineup vs Club Brugge

Atalanta predicted lineup vs Club Brugge (3-4-2-1): Patricio; Posch, Hien, Djimisiti; Bellanova, De Roon, Ederson, Zappacosta; Samardzic, De Ketelaere; Retegui.

Club Brugge vs Atalanta score prediction

Atalanta's injuries render this a potential banana skin, but Gasperini's side have historically been superb in the face of adversity and their current situation won't deter them. They were in a rampant mood at the weekend, with Mateo Retegui's stellar season continuing with a quartet of strikes in Verona.

Club Brugge scraped into the play-offs but showed throughout the league phase that they can carry a threat against some of Europe's top dogs. Atalanta must be wary of their speed in wide areas, but the visitors overwhelming their hosts via dogged man-orientation is a distinct possibility.

Expect Atalanta to set themselves up for a round of 16 berth by winning in Belgium.

Prediction: Club Brugge 1-3 Atalanta

READ THE LATEST CHAMPIONS LEAGUE NEWS, PREVIEWS & RATINGS HERE