Charles De Ketelaere was set to start for Atalanta against Bologna at the New Balance Arena, a first for him after a stop-start return from injury. The Belgian was being lined up for a key role on a night that could help Atalanta turn a busy run of matches into something more controlled.
That is why Atalanta Vs Bologna was drawing attention before kickoff. This was Atalanta's fourth match in the last eleven days, and the team arrived with a fresh need for invention after a narrow league win over Sassuolo and a Conference League qualification secured on Thursday, when Scamacca scored the winner on neutral ground in Hungary. The schedule around them was already heavy, and De Ketelaere's selection pointed to how much Atalanta wanted another attacking voice in place.
De Ketelaere's case has been shaped by timing as much as talent. He returned from the World Cup after reaching the Quarter-finals with Belgium, then suffered an adductor strain in his left leg in mid-August. He had not had many training sessions with the squad, and that made a first start more significant than a routine lineup choice. Atalanta had been building toward this moment since their league opener, when they beat Sassuolo and showed an excellent first half-hour before the game changed later on.
The idea behind his inclusion was simple. Atalanta have looked for creativity from De Ketelaere since his arrival in Bergamo, where his best output came in seasons of 14 goals and 11 assists, and later 13 goals and 13 assists in 2024-25. His least prolific spell still produced 5 goals and 7 assists across all competitions, which is why the club keep turning back to him when the attacking rhythm needs sharpening. Unless tactical changes are made, he would operate as a right winger in a 4-3-3, giving Atalanta a direct way to test Bologna's structure.
Bologna arrived with their own questions after struggling in their home opener against Lazio. Maurizio Sarri put the point plainly when he said De Ketelaere had not had many training sessions but quality players can still offer something extra. That was the real value of the night for Atalanta: not just another fixture, but a chance to see whether a player held back by a mid-August injury and a crowded calendar could finally give their attack the lift they have been waiting for. The next marker after that was immediate, with Pafos at home, Ajax away, Kairat at home, Borac away, Riga away, and Mjallby at home waiting in the Conference League.
