Harry Kane will not feature in Bayern Munich’s starting XI for their Champions League Round of 16 first leg clash against Atalanta in Bergamo on Tuesday evening due to fitness concerns. Meanwhile, Atalanta coach Raffaele Palladino has opted for a two-pronged attack featuring Gianluca Scamacca and Nikola Krstovic.
Atalanta carries the hopes of Italy in the 2025-26 Champions League, being the sole Italian club remaining after Juventus and Inter were eliminated in the play-off round, and Napoli exited after the group stage.
La Dea (Atalanta’s nickname) earned their spot in this Round of 16 fixture by surprisingly defeating German giants Borussia Dortmund in the play-off round. Their opponents, Bayern, automatically qualified for this stage by finishing second in their league phase group.
The match is scheduled to kick off tonight at 20:00 GMT. The return leg of this two-match series is set for Wednesday, March 18, in just over a week.
Atalanta faces significant challenges with several key first-team players sidelined due to injury, including Ederson, Charles De Ketelaere, and Giacomo Raspadori. Additionally, Giorgio Scalvini is unavailable tonight, serving a suspension after being sent off during Atalanta’s dramatic play-off victory against Dortmund.
Coach Palladino has entrusted Scamacca and Krstovic with leading Atalanta’s offensive efforts against Bayern. Atalanta is expected to deploy a 4-4-2 formation, featuring Marten De Roon and Mario Pasalic in central midfield, flanked by Kamaldeen Sulemana and Nikola Zalewski on the wings.
Doubts surrounding the fitness of England captain Harry Kane were confirmed, as he was omitted from Bayern’s squad for their recent 4-1 Bundesliga victory. He’s deemed unfit to start tonight and will be replaced by Nicolas Jackson upfront.
Vincent Kompany’s Bayern side will also be without the injured Manuel Neuer and Alphonso Davies. Jonas Urbig will step in as goalkeeper, and Konrad Laimer will cover the left-back position. In another tactical decision, Serge Gnabry has been selected to start ahead of Jamal Musiala.
Confirmed Line-ups for Atalanta vs. Bayern Munich:
Atalanta (4-4-2): Carnesecchi; Zappacosta, Hien, Kolasinac, Bernasconi; Sulemana, De Roon, Pasalic, Zalewski; Scamacca, Krstovic.
Bayern (4-2-3-1): Urbig; Stanisic, Upamecano, Tah, Laimer; Kimmich, Pavlovic; Olise, Gnabry, Diaz; Jackson.
