Borussia Dortmund have been drawn against Serie A giants Atalanta in the upcoming Champions League playoffs, marking their first official encounter in the competition.
The sides will compete in a two-legged affair for a place in the round of 16, where they'd play either Arsenal or Bayern Munich.
Dortmund failed to secure a direct place in the last-16 after losing 2-0 to Inter Milan on the final day, as late goals from Federico Dimarco and Andy Diouf consigned them to a 17th-place finish.
It marked a bitter end to Dortmund's league phase of the competition as Niko Kovac's side failed to win any of their last three matches, drawing Bodo/Glimt and losing to Tottenham before this.
This slump saw them drop out of top eight spots that would have guaranteed them a direct place in the last-16 round, and slipped into the unseeded column of playoffs.
Dortmund drew Atalanta
It was going to be either Atalanta or Bayer Leverkusen for Borussia Dortmund in the playoffs, and both sides looked equally treacherous on paper.
Bayer Leverkusen were the only other team to have defeated Dortmund at home this season after Die Werkself beat them 1-0 in the DFB-Pokal clash in December 2025.
Meanwhile, Atalanta, having become a regular in the Champions League lately, have gained tremendous experience in the competition which has seen them beat some big sides too.
Chelsea were the latest to have bit the dust as La Dea pulled off a second-half comeback in that game to beat the Europa Conference League winners 2-1 on matchday six.
As the chits were pulled in Nyon today to determine the playoff, Dortmund were drawn to play Atalanta.
Dortmund have beaten Atalanta before
While it may be their first Champions League clash, but Dortmund and Atalanta have met in the Europa League before, with the former prevailing 4-3 on aggregate in the round of 32 of the 2017-18 season.
Die Schwarzgelben won the first leg 3-2 at home, courtesy of a late double from Michy Batshuayi before seeing off a 1-1 draw in Bergamo in the return to reach the last-16.
It's almost been eight years since that meeting, but Dortmund can beat the Serie A side once more given their sluggish run of form lately.
Atalanta have won just once from their last four in all competitions as of now, while their last two Champions League games resulted in defeats to Athletic Bilbao and Union Saint-Gilloise in a pair of unexpected slip-ups.
If Dortmund are able to find their shooting boots in the competition again - they failed to score in their last two fixtures - Atalanta's wobbly defense could crumble under pressure.
The first leg is scheduled for 18 February at the Signal Iduna Park with the return fixture set to played the following week on 25 February at the New Balance Arena.