Official: Atalanta confirm 22-man squad for FC Kairat including seven U23 players

Official: Atalanta confirm 22-man squad for FC Kairat including seven U23 players Atalanta have named a youthful squad ahead of their Conference League clash with FC Kairat on Thursday evening, including seven players from their U23s squad, five of whom are teenagers. Atalanta have played two games in the Conference League so far this season: They beat Pafos 3-1 at home in the opening round of fixtures and fell to a 2-0 defeat away against Ajax in their most recent European test. This leaves them in 15th place with three points after two matches. AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – OCTOBER 22: Eljif Elmas of Atalanta BC shoots under pressure from Youri Baas of Ajax during the UEFA Conference League 2026/27 League Phase MD2 match between AFC Ajax and Atalanta BC at Johan Cruijff Arena on October 22, 2026 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images) Maruizio Sarri’s side will go up against a Kairat side that drew 1-1 with Riga in the first round of fixtures, before losing 5-1 at home to Panathinaikos, leaving them in 31st place with one point after two Conference League fixtures. Thursday’s game could bring opportunities for a number of Atalanta youngsters as Sarri navigates his way through the next two fixtures before the international break with a hefty injury list. AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – OCTOBER 22: Maurizio Sarri, Head Coach of Atalanta BC, looks on before the UEFA Conference League 2026/27 League Phase MD2 match between AFC Ajax and Atalanta BC at Johan Cruijff Arena on October 22, 2026 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images) Odilon Kossounou, Isak Hien, Sead Kolasinac, Thomas Kristensen, Raoul Bellanova, Franck Kessie, Gianluca Gaetano and Giacomo Raspadori are all unavailable through injury for the Kairat clash and have not been named in the matchday squad. This has led to the inclusion of seven players who are typically part of the U23s squad, five of whom are teenagers. They are goalkeeper Mattia Sonzogni (17), defenders Isaac Isoa (18), Albert Navarro (19) and Relja Obric (20), wing-back Javison Idele (19), plus midfielders Sergej Levak (20) and Federico Steffanoni (18). Kick-off this evening is due at 17.45 GMT (18.45 CET). Confirmed Atalanta squad vs. Kairat Almaty BERGAMO, ITALY – OCTOBER 15: Gianluca Scamacca of Atalanta BC celebrates scoring his team’s third goal with teammate Mario Pasalic during the UEFA Conference League 2026/27 League Phase MD1 match between Atalanta BC and Pafos FC at Stadio di Bergamo on October 15, 2026 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) Goalkeepers: Marco Carnesecchi, Mattia Sonzogni, Marco Sportiello. Defenders: Lorenzo Bernasconi, Isaac Isoa, Albert Navarro, Relja Obric, Giorgio Scalvini, Davide Zappacosta. Midfielders: Ederson, Eljif Elmas, Javison Idele, Sergej Levak, Mario Pasalic, Lazar Samardzic, Federico Steffanoni, Nicola Zalewski. Forwards: Charles De Ketelaere, Nikola Krstovic, Jonathan Rowe, Gianluca Scamacca, Kamaldeen Sulemana.