Champions League news - Manchester United should be wary of improving Atalanta and Duvan Zapata

On Wednesday evening Manchester United and their under-pressure manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will welcome one of Europe’s most enjoyable upstarts to Old Trafford.

Atalanta are one of the best teams in the world to watch, playing thrilling football that often results in spectacular matches. They have rightly earned their place in the Champions League thanks to their brave style, marshalled superbly by Gian Piero Gasperini.

United, by contrast, are stodgy and clueless a lot of the time, so often seeming to rely on one of their players to create a moment of magic, rather than a clear tactical plan.

It’s not exactly must-win for United and Solskjaer, despite the immense pressure the Norwegian is under, but it’s certainly a must-not-lose - defeat could lead to a change in the dugout.

United fans might be forgiven for feeling as if they have a great chance against Atalanta, with the team from Bergamo sitting sixth in Serie A, the same position as their English counter-parts, with the same number of points.

“Gasperini’s team is following a steady and slow crescendo,” says Lorenzo Rigamonti of Eurosport Italy about Atalanta’s inconsistent start.

“They were somewhat lost at first, and didn’t play at their usual pace.

“Game after game they’re gaining confidence, they can easily scare a shaky Manchester United.”

Few United fans would disagree with that last statement, as the 4-2 defeat at Leicester City on the weekend followed a draw against Everton and defeat to Aston Villa before the international break, as well as a dramatic late win over Villarreal. The only team in the top-half to have conceded more goals than United this season is Tottenham Hotspur.

That defence will be the area Atalanta target on Wednesday with one man in particular, Duvan Zapata, the key figure for the visitors. Rigamonti calls Zapata “the workhorse of the offense” and stresses that “United’s defence has to figure out a way to neutralise his all-round game,” pointing out that “many top teams in Italy still haven’t done that.”

Zapata is now 30 but he’s arguably playing better than ever, registering six goal contributions in six league matches this season. The Colombian is the leader of the attack and Gasperini’s pressing game starts with him at the front.

Aside from Zapata, United will have to pay attention to the technically proficient Ruslan Malinovskyi, who can change games with the ball at his feet, as well as Euro 2020 surprise star Matteo Pessina.

But it’s not all good news. Wing-back Robin Gosens will miss the game with injury, a huge blow to Gasperini’s system as the German is one of the key cogs in the machine. So far Joakim Maehle, another star of Euro 2020, and Davide Zappacosta have been deputising as the wing-backs, but it’s an area United can target according to Rigamonti.

“Robin Gosens is still out, and Gasperini didn’t get the answer he hoped for from his backup wings. Speedy and technically gifted players like Greenwood or Sancho could really dent a vulnerable defence in that area of the field.”

It will be fascinating to see whether or United can effectively play Atalanta at their own game, use the pace in their team to make life uncomfortable for their defence and try to catch them out on the counter. The worry for United fans has to be what happens if they play the same kind of ponderous football, leaving big gaps for Atalanta to exploit. How Solskjaer sets his team up will go a long way to showing us what sort of tactical resource he has in his locker. Gasperini always makes his opponents think.