Sead Kolasinac made his first league start of the season for Atalanta on Sunday and he is expected to keep his place in the side for the visit of former club Arsenal on Thursday. The 31-year-old defender committed a foul during La Dea’s 3-2 win over Fiorentina at the weekend and he looks like a strong candidate to give away at least one free-kick against the Gunners.

Kolasinac committed no fewer than three fouls during his only other appearance for Atalanta this season which was against Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup final.

He has averaged over one foul per-game across each of the previous three seasons and he should have his work cut out here given that he will likely be up against Bukayo Saka. The Arsenal ace has been fouled nine times already in this season’s Premier League.

Declan Rice will make a welcome return to the Arsenal side on Thursday night and he looks nicely priced to commit at least one foul.

The all-action midfielder committed two fouls against Brighton in his previous appearance for the Gunners this season and he also gave away a free-kick during their 2-0 win at Aston Villa last month. It’s also worth noting that Rice got on the wrong side of the referee once during England’s recent 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland in the Nations League.

He will likely be involved in a fiery midfield battle with Atalanta’s Ederson, who was fouled three times against Fiorentina on Sunday. The 25-year-old Brazilian midfielder also earned his side three free-kicks against Real Madrid in this year’s Super Cup final.

Thomas Partey is another player who is likely to find himself in the thick of the midfield battleground on Thursday night, making him a strong contender to earn at least one foul.

The Ghanaian midfield enforcer has proven to be somewhat of a foul-magnet across the opening month of the Premier League season. He was fouled twice against Tottenham last time out and he also earned his side four free-kicks over the first three rounds of top-flight action this season.

He will likely come up against two serial offenders in the shape of the aforementioned Ederson as well as Marten de Roon. Both players have committed multiple fouls in nine of their 10 combined appearances for Atalanta this season, so there is plenty of scope for Partey to pick up another free-kick for Arsenal on Thursday night.

While Atalanta receive plenty of plaudits for their attack-minded approach, they are not afraid to shy away from the dirty work when required.

Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have picked up multiple bookings in each of their five matches across all competitions this season. That five-game sample includes games with Real Madrid and Inter Milan, which would suggest there is a good chance that they will go into the referee’s notebook on at least two occasions against Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta’s side have drawn two cards or more from three of their four Premier League opponents this season, with Spurs having five yellows flashed in their direction at the weekend. What’s more, Atalanta were shown two cards or more in four of their final five Europa League fixtures last season, including both legs of their quarter-final tie with Liverpool.

Arsenal have made a strong start to the new Premier League season and they look well placed to carry that form into the new look Champions League by claiming a win against Atalanta. Mikel Arteta’s men have already earned impressive victories away at both Aston Villa and Tottenham this term and that should stand them in good stead ahead of this week’s trip to Italy.

While Atalanta should prove to be a tough nut to crack at their Bergamo base, they have made an up and down start to the season in Serie A. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have already lost twice in four outings in the league this term, not to mention they came up short in the UEFA Super Cup final against Real Madrid. Alarmingly, Atalanta have conceded two goals or more in four of their five outings across all competitions this season.

In contrast, Arsenal have three wins and a draw on the board at this stage domestically, conceding just one goal in the process. Arteta’s side should be full of confidence after putting in a polished display to beat a talented Tottenham team on their own patch and they look worth backing to carve out another success at the Gewiss Stadium.

Kai Havertz has established himself as a key figure in this Arsenal side and he represents good value to register at least one shot on target against Atalanta. The Arsenal attacker has netted twice in four Premier League appearances this season, and  he also grabbed a goal in Germany’s 5-0 hammering of Hungary in the Nations League.

Across his four top-flight outings for Arsenal this season, Havertz has averaged 1.3 shots on target per-game thus far, with two of those on-target efforts coming against Tottenham last Sunday. The Gunners forward should be presented with further goalscoring opportunities when his side go up against an Atalanta outfit that have leaked eight goals across their last three Serie A matches, giving up a combined total of 16 on-target efforts in the process.

Havertz is also likely to be on penalty kick duty on Thursday night, and that only adds to the appeal of siding with him to work the home goalkeeper on at least one occasion.

Key to Arsenal’s success on Thursday night could be the brilliance of star man Bukayo Saka, who registered yet another assist during Sunday’s 1-0 win at Tottenham.

Consequently, Saka has provided a goal in each of the Gunners’ four Premier League games this season. He also notched on the opening weekend of the season against Wolves, so siding with him to either score or assist here makes plenty of sense at the prices.

Saka racked up a whopping 33 goal involvements across his 44 combined Premier League and Champions League appearances last season, making him the standout selection to be involved in another goal against Atalanta. The Italians have looked vulnerable defensively throughout the opening stretch of the season, shipping multiple goals in three of their four league games, and Saka is a value option to capitalise on that.

Ederson’s combative streak will almost certainly be on show against Arsenal on Thursday night. The Atalanta midfielder has a habit of falling foul of the referee, having committed a combined total of eight fouls across his four Serie A appearances this season.

The Brazilian battler has given away multiple free-kicks in three of his Italian top-flight outings this term, collecting one yellow card along the way. He was also cautioned in Atalanta’s 2-0 loss to Real Madrid in the Super Cup last month, on a night where he committed two fouls.

Thus, Ederson holds plenty of appeal  to commit a further two fouls against what is a slick Arsenal side. He could be tasked with keeping tabs on Leandro Trossard, who was fouled twice during Arsenal’s 1-0 success at Spurs on Sunday.