Ray Parlour gives his Atalanta vs Arsenal prediction

Former Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour says Mikel Arteta's side can take great confidence from their 1-0 victory over Tottenham ahead of their visit to Atalanta in the Champions League on Thursday.

The Gunners head into the game in Bergamo having secured all three points against their old rivals, courtesy of a 64th-minute header from central defender Gabriel. 

Arsenal's win got them off to a perfect start ahead of a huge week which sees them kick-off their Champions League campaign against Atalanta, before culminating with a visit to title rivals Manchester City on Sunday. 

Parlour 'expecting rotations in Atalanta'

Arsenal continued their assent under manager Mikel Arteta last season, taking the Premier League title race down to the final day before ultimately finishing runners-up behind champions City. 

The North Londoners will have been disappointed with their showing on the continent though, after a 3-2 aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich saw them bow out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage.

Arteta's men looked particularly lacklustre during the second leg at the Allianz Arena, where Bayern effectively contained winger Bukayo Saka before securing a place in the semi-finals through a Joshua Kimmich strike. 

Arsenal celebrate Gabriel's winning goal in the north London derby last Sunday. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)

Nevertheless, three-time Premier League winner Parlour, who was speaking exclusively to Odds Now via NetBet Online Betting, says his former side will be bouyed by the weekend's victory as they look to get off to a winning start in the competition. 

Parlour said: "[They will take] massive confidence. It was a brilliant result for Arsenal to win the north London derby. Arsenal defended superbly and Mikel Arteta set up the team very well without Rice and Odegaard. 

"Saliba was outstanding and the rest of the defence were also very good. Big credit to Martinelli and Saka who helped out the full-backs, but were still a threat going forward."

Parlour also anticipates some changes to the starting lineup in Bergamo ahead of the impending visit to the Etihad Stadium at the weekend.

"To start off a massive week by winning this type of game will give huge confidence to the team as they start the Champions League campaign. I am sure Mikel will rotate the side for Thursday's game given the significance of Man. City on Sunday."

Arsenal defence crucial for Atalanta trip

The Gunners' defensive records in recent times have been outstanding. Spurs retained 64% of possession at the weekend but were limited to just 0.79 expected goals, making for a frustrating watch for the home faithful.

Arsenal's robustness at the back has been a key pillar of their rise under Arteta, whose men boasted the best defensive stats in the Premier League last season. Across their 38 matches, Arsenal conceded just 29 goals and registered 18 clean sheets. Only eight of those games saw the Gunners concede two or more times. 

The form has continued into this campaign, where they've conceded just one goal in their first four league matches. Arsenal head to the Gewiss Stadium with seven clean sheets in their last 10 competitive outings.

Arsenal centre-backs William Saliba and Gabriel are at the heart of the Premier League's best defence. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)

While Atalanta have won seven of their last 10 home matches, Parlour is confident the Gunners' defence will again carry them to another winning performance on Thursday. 

"It will be another tough game for Arsenal, but the defence is so strong and even with a couple of changes I suspect they make, Arsenal have the experience to put in a similar performance like they did v Spurs and can play on the counter attack and win by a single goal.

"Atalanta will look to use the home support to get a home win, but you can count on the experience Arsenal have and with Rice back in the side, Arsenal can look to get a foot hold in the game early.

"With rotation expected, you have the likes of Sterling and Jesus [who could come in] and both have a lot of experience in this competition."

Arsenal need to improve on the road in Europe

Away form is crucial in determining where the bigges trophies end up come the end of the season. Only eventual champions Manchester City boasted a better away record in the Premier League than Arsenal in 2023-24, but Arteta's men struggled to find that same winning touch on away soil in Europe. 

All three of their losses in the Champions League came on their travels last season, including the crucial 1-0 loss to Bayern which confirmed their exit in the quarter-finals back in April. In fact, the Gunners won just one of their five away fixtures in the competition last season - a record which will need to drastically improve if they want to go deeper in Europe this time around. 

Nevertheless, Parlour believes Arsenal will benefit from the tough learning curves endured across the continent last term and will head to Bergamo a stronger side at European level. 

"Arsenal can use last year's experience to grow into this year's competition and especially on the road, it’s important Arsenal look to defend well and secure big wins away from home. 

"This can be the start of a big tournament for the club and to get a win in this game, will give the team even more confidence they can go on and compete in the later stages of this season's tournament. They must learn from last season and take the chances they get."

Arsenal's defeat to Bayern Munich was their third loss on the road in the Champions League last season. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)

Atalanta vs Arsenal betting odds

Despite their patchy form on the road, Arsenal still head into Thursday as odds-on favourites at a best price of 10/11 with BetUK at the time of writing. An Atalanta victory sits at 16/5 with William Hill, while BetUK offer the draw at 14/5. 

Given the Gunners' defensive strengths, it's no surprise to see over 1.5+ Atalanta goals coming in wide at 21/10. 

Parlour expects former Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling to make his first senior start for the club since joining on a season-long loan in the summer. The 29-year-old has already scored 29 times in the Champions League for various clubs and Sky Bet offer him to score anytime at a generous 11/4.