Atalanta-Sporting Lisbon on the pitch LIVE and PHOTO for the first leg of the Europa League round of 16
CALENDAR AND RESULTS
THE EVE AT THE HOME OF THE DEA
Atalanta's eighth time against Sporting Lisbon occurs in the first leg of the round of 16, the first major crossroads of the season, in the midst of an iron cycle of seven matches in three weeks on the European and domestic front .
Having collected just one point in the trio with the two Milanese teams and Bologna in failing to overtake fourth place, the Bergamo players are called to the rescue on a pitch that they were the only ones to violate this season.
The memory of the Scalvini-Ruggeri one-two last October 5th, in the group stage, halved by Gyokeres' penalty is still fresh:
"We have also grown compared to that match, but Sporting is still first in the Portuguese championship. A very strong team with which we share the vocation to score goals", the premise of the coach Gian Piero Gasperini.
The Bergamo team, which has 609 fans following at Alvalade, almost had no time to recover from the home defeat with Thiago Motta: "We met again on Monday afternoon and there is the only training session scheduled for the day before at the Lisbon stadium The late recovery against Inter affects us, forcing us into the fourth important match in less than 11 days: we would have liked to have been more ready, but we have won this opportunity and we want to qualify for the quarter-finals", reasons the Nerazzurri coach.
The iron rule is that against three-man defenses you attack with as many men, so Koopmeiners passes from the attacking midfield to the right with Lookman on the other side and De Ketelaere in the center, favored over Scamacca, who together with Edwards created the 1-1 draw in Bergamo. Last November 30th:
"He's widening his range of action, he just needs to take off the pressure they put on him from the outside with expectations of a great champion."
The certainty, while Holm's place on the right does not seem so safe from competition from Zappacosta, is Ederson's return as a starter in the middle alongside De Roon: "We shouldn't expect the same opponent in the group, he has a very quick attack with players with a fast pace like Edwards and great concentration is needed first and foremost in defence. With Gasperini I am improving a lot, I run faster and faster", the words of the Brazilian.
The very relative news is the
return between the posts of Musso, cup goalkeeper except for Rakow and on the bench after the 3-2 championship win in the first leg against Milan on 9 December
: "Juan is playing, a very positive and serious boy who he works very hard. I made the choice on Carnesecchi and the possibility of a transfer in January was raised for him but it didn't come to fruition", concludes Gasperini.
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