"An additional motivation"
Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta coach): “We know the expectation there is around this match, and all the passion, the love that the province of Bergamo has for Atalanta. This year, there is an extra motivation, dictated by everything that has happened, unfortunately. It is something that we keep within us. But today, everything is reduced to a football match. "
Gasperini is getting ready for Mbappé
Gasperini: “At present, I know that there will be Di Maria (suspended) who will be missing at PSG, and for us, it will be Gollini and Ilicic. For the wounded, we'll see tomorrow (Wednesday). It is certain that Mbappé is another extraordinary player, able to change the balance of a match. We are preparing by thinking that he will be on the field, and we will see if he enters during the match. "
Force Neymar to defend
Gasperini: “Neymar is one of the strongest players in the world. It's a problem for all the teams facing it. But the best way to defend is to play well and make sure he has to defend, too. With the right concentration of all, we can succeed in containing it and reduce its effectiveness a little. "
Emotion and concentration
Gasperini: “We get to the mental level in the best possible way. We resumed the Championship and achieved results which confirmed our qualification for the Champions League next season. There is a lot of prestige around the game, but you have to focus on what is on the pitch. ”
Marten de Roon (Atalanta midfielder): “We shouldn't change much in our preparation, even if this match is a little more important. It's a dream to play a Champions League quarterfinal. We know that we can compete against great teams, we did it in Italy. Against PSG, it will be something even different, with players like Neymar, Mbappé and Thiago Silva who have been playing at this level for a long time. There will be a little emotion, of course, but we will be very focused. ”
Playing in a single match, not necessarily an advantage
Gasperini: “It's a knockout match. Some people say it's an advantage, but I would have preferred to play a back and forth. We always played better in the return leg in the Champions League this season. You have to succeed in being strong from the start. ”
"Either we learn or we win"
Gasperini: “There will be a great desire to do well. We know that we will not lose, either we win or we learn (...) We have shown that we are able to obtain good results, even if we do not have a great European history. We have an idea of playing, motivations, a desire to play, passion, enthusiasm, these are extraordinary resources. We have a responsibility not to disappoint people, not on results but on values, in order to show that a team like Atalanta can be at the big table (...) These are unlimited resources for us. layout, that's what we're basing ourselves on. ”
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