Gian Piero Gasperini, the manager of Atalanta, praised Arsenal but stated his club is prepared to cause another upset.
Gasperini guided Atalanta to the Europa League the previous year, where they defeated Liverpool along route. This season, they will take on Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal in the Champions League. Atalanta’s goal in the revamped Champions League structure is to advance to the knockout stages.
The 66-year-old head coach Gasperini stated: “Atalanta must not think that they are on par with these teams, but Atalanta has always played for just one result and will do so tomorrow too.” He also stated that Ademola Lookman is healthy to play against the Gunners.
We face a formidable initial challenge, but it will serve as a test of who we are. Although I don’t personally know Arteta, I have the utmost respect for him as a coach; this is a fun team to watch.
“Even though they were not able to win the Premier League, the team’s accomplishments speak for themselves; they are a great example of football, compact and well-organized.”
“But we won a competition that had been absent for a long time, and we had a great run in the Europa League.”
“At this point, our goal is to maintain our position; breaking into the top eight will be challenging. We need to win every game in order to maintain our position between ninth and twenty-fourth.
