Atalanta roll into Tuesday’s Champions League conflict with Real Madrid believing they’ll make extra historical past as the brand new Serie A leaders goal for a top-eight end and to push the 15-time kings of Europe nearer to a shock elimination. Gian Piero Gasperini’s workforce are in red-hot type and after shifting high of the pile in Italy are within the unprecedented place of dealing with Madrid with some pundits making them favourites for the win in Bergamo. “That’s a matter of opinion, I’m not precisely very satisfied but when that is what individuals wish to say that is superb by me,” mentioned Gasperini after Friday’s win over AC Milan.
Confidence is understandably excessive at Atalanta who’re on a club-record run of 9 straight wins in Serie A and for the primary time of their historical past real league title contenders.
And Atalanta have been simply as explosive within the Champions League, constructing on final season’s historic Europa League triumph to sit down fifth within the desk with 11 factors from their first 5 video games.
Atalanta might simply have had an ideal 5 wins from 5 too as their goalless attracts with Arsenal and Celtic got here with a clutch of nice alternatives to attain.
Tuesday’s conflict on the Gewiss Stadium is a chance for revenge for defeat within the European Super Cup in August when the Italians carried out with credit score in opposition to a seemingly unbeatable Madrid additional strengthened by the arrival of Kylian Mbappe.
Atalanta eye final 16
They also can strengthen their case for direct qualification for the final 16 with most forecasts saying they’ve already earned sufficient factors to achieve the play-offs, with 5 extra wanted to safe a spot within the first eight positions.
“Tuesday is one other enormous occasion for us, the membership and town of Bergamo,” added Gasperini.
“We’re taking part in Real Madrid near our first goal within the Champions League, and perhaps we will even get one thing extra.”
Atalanta have by no means completed larger than third in Serie A, which they did three seasons in a row between 2019 and 2021 with an exhilarating workforce that includes an all-action assault of Josip Ilicic, Duvan Zapata and Papu Gomez.
But joyous followers loudly chanted “we’re gonna win the league” after Ademola Lookman’s late winner on Friday, the tenth objective of one other exceptional season from the Nigeria ahead.
Lookman, alongside Charles De Ketelaere and Serie A’s main scorer Mateo Retegui present a potent attacking menace however the distinction between Gasperini’s earlier Atalanta groups and the present classic is the flexibility to grind out victories.
If Madrid stars Vinicius Junior, Mbappe and Jude Bellingham are to get their Champions League marketing campaign again on observe in coach Carlo Ancelotti’s homeland, they must get previous a workforce which has conceded simply as soon as in 5 European fixtures.
“These wins aren’t simply falling from the sky,” mentioned Gasperini.
“This workforce goes for the win proper to the top. Every time. We all the time look to play and attempt to win.”
(This story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
