Manchester United sits atop its Champions League group after three games, thanks in part to a 3-2 home win over Atalanta two weeks back. Atalanta came into the contest leading the group, and now sits two points behind Man U. The rematch takes place in Italy. Let Groundhopper Soccer Guides introduce you to Atalanta of Italy’s Serie A.

Kickoff at Atalanta

Introduction to Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio

The club has played in Serie A each season since 2011-12, when they gained promotion from Serie B after winning the league title. The Goddess, as they are nicknamed, has been dubbed the queen of the provincial clubs, as they have enjoyed the most success among the Italian clubs not based in a regional capital.

Atalanta have qualified for the Champions League three times, and reached the quarterfinals as recently as 2019-20.

Atalanta’s History

The club was founded in 1907, and is famous for sporting vertically striped blue-and-black shirts with black shorts for its home fixtures. Overall, Atalanta have played 60 seasons in the top tier.

In 1988, Atalanta were playing in Serie B in Italy, but reached the semifinals of the Cup Winners’ Cup. That is still the best performance by a non-first division club in a major UEFA tournament (along with Cardiff City).

Atalanta’s Stadium, Gewiss Stadium

The 21,000-seat stadium opened in 1928, but has undergone four major renovations. The most recent work, a brand new North Stand named for former Italian football great Federico Pisani, was completed in 2021. Its official name is Stadio di Bergamo but is known as Gewiss Stadium for sponsorship reasons.

Atalanta’s stadium is right in the middle of town.

The City of Bergamo, Italy

Bergamo is located in the mountains of northern Italy, about 25 miles northeast of Milan and just 20 miles from the Switzerland border. The population is fairly small with 120,000 residents.

There are two parts of the city, an old walled core (Upper Town) and a modern expansion in the plains below. The hilltop medieval town features many places of interest for the visiting tourist.

If you are looking to get to one of the bigger Italian cities (Milan or Venice), the A4 motorway gives easy access.

The skyline of the old fortified Upper City. (Image: hozinja, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

2021-2022 Champions League Schedule

Group F – Atalanta, Manchester United, Villarreal (Spain), BSC Young Boys (Switzerland)

Here are the matchups between Atalanta and Manchester United:

• October 20 – at Manchester United – Man U won 3-2
• November 2 – at Atalanta – Tied 2-2

Have a complete look at the 2021-22 Champions League schedule and a look at the Premier League clubs in the Champions League.

How to Watch Champions League Games in the U.S.

We have a separate post about how to watch all the Champions League fixtures on TV in the U.S., but your best resource is Paramount+. fuboTV also offers live streaming for a huge number of games around the world.

Watch the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League on Paramount+.