Champions League: Arsenal battle Atalanta, Can Monaco stop Barcelona?

UEFA Champions League recap and preview: highlights include Celtic's dominant win, City vs Inter draw, and Arsenal's upcoming clash with Atalanta.

Arsenal and Atalanta will square up on Thursday night in a Champions League group stage game, who are you backing for this one? (Photo credit: Opta)

The first final night of the first round of the UEFA Champions League is upon us, but let’s reflect on happenings across grounds on day 2.

Bologna’s surprise presence in the Champions League started off with a goalless draw at home against Ukrainian giants Shakhter Donetsk; the visitors gave a decent fight and deserved more, but the point should teach the Italian side a lesson or two going forward.

Is anyone sleeping on what Brendan Rodgers is cooking at Celtic? Slovan Bratislava isn’t all that, but how did Celtic put five goals past them under the lights on a Champions League night? At this point, the fear of the Scottish big boys is likely the beginning of wisdom.

Borussia Dortmund, without a doubt, is the most unpredictable team in all of Europe. Their 3-0 victory over Club Brugge should not be taken lightly, as they have the potential to lose at home to a smaller club in the league on the weekend. However, let's celebrate their impressive victory.

Manchester City played out a goalless draw at home against a resolute Inter Milan side. You must feel for the Premier League champions because they faced prime “haram ball” on Wednesday night and will face a Mikel Arteta version of that at the weekend in the league, tough to be honest.

PSG left it late, but they managed a 1-0 win over Girona at the Parc des Princes. It was looking like they were going to settle for a goalless draw, but Paulo Gazzanniga fumbled a Nuno Mendes effort into his own net late in the game. After making tough saves, Girona learnt the difficult way.

Let’s talk about Arsenal, shall we? The Gunners will be without Martin Odegaard as they resume Champions League duties for the second season in a row after six years of painful absence. The Gunners are away to Europa League champions Atalanta; it should be enjoyable on Thursday night.

Mateo Retegui, an Italian sensation who came up strong for Italy over the international break, is set to prove he's not just a national treasure but a great club asset against Arsenal. He won’t be the only one; a certain Ademola Lookman is waiting in the wings.

The Nigerian winger is arguably the brightest prospect for the 2024 African Footballer of the Year; he has started the season well, and Arsenal must be wary of him. The Gunners will be able to welcome Declan Rice and Ricardo Calafiori back to the fold; it should be fun.

AS Monaco will welcome Barcelona to their stadium. The Catalonia giants have blown away every side they have faced this season, but they must prosecute the game without Dani Olmo, who will miss the next set of games due to injury.