Atalanta v Arsenal Tips: Joe Cole's 5/2 midweek NAP for Thursday

It’s Thursday night which can only mean one thing – it’s Europa League time, baby! Hang on a minute, that’s this? Champions League on a Thursday?

Yes you read that right and it’s Arsenal in action as they face a tricky test away at last season’s Europa League winners Atalanta. Our new superstar signing Joe Cole is back once again and his midweek NAP comes in this Atalanta v Arsenal clash.

Atalanta v Arsenal betting tips

Arsenal to win and both teams to score (NAP)
Raheem Sterling to score
Ademola Lookman to score

WHEN: Thursday 19th of September, 8pm
WHERE: Gewiss Stadium, Bergamo
TV: TNT Sports 1

This is an interesting one because, from Atalanta’s perspective, they will score goals. They will score against Arsenal because of the way they play.

They’re a joy to watch, they were brilliant all the way through last year’s European games. I watched them a lot and they played this free-flowing football.

They’re not going to sit off Arsenal so the bet for this game is both teams to score. We saw Arsenal win at the weekend when they were missing key players and that ticked a massive box for me because, to win a league title, you need to win games when you’ve got suspensions and injuries.

Mikel Arteta will look at his whole body of work and see how his team have tailed off towards the end of the season in the last two years and think, ‘Maybe I need to be a bit smarter in games like this, early stages of the Champions League or the League Cup.’

Mikel Arteta

There will be games that they will need to win when understrength, if they lose against Atalanta they can still progress so it’s about balance and who he picks.

He needs to start rotating a bit more, especially in the backline. I’m guessing he might do that in this game and that makes me think it’s even more likely Atalanta score.

I’m going for Arsenal to win but both teams to score, that’s my midweek NAP and I got my NAP right at the weekend on debut thanks to Danny Ings’ 95th minute equaliser for West Ham against Fulham! I think it will be 2-1 to Arsenal and I fancy Raheem Sterling to score for Arsenal.

If Ademola Lookman’s playing he might be worth a go to score for Atalanta as well. I covered the Europa League final that they won last year and it was a beautiful thing to see a kid from London scoring a hat trick in the final. He’ll want to do well against an English team who are from London!