Gian Piero Gasperini believes Atalanta can learn against Manchester United and says the Red Devils are ‘not in crisis.’
La Dea visits Old Trafford as the Group F leaders tomorrow. It kicks off at 20.00 UK time.
Manchester United are the third Premier League club Atalanta face in the Champions League in three years.
They already faced Manchester City in their first-ever Champions League campaign in 2019-20 and met Liverpool last term.
“We will learn something as it happened with Manchester City and Liverpool. Premier League clubs are elite level. It’s a difficult game, but it offers an opportunity to improve,” Gasperini said at a pre-match press conference at Old Trafford.
“It was a hard lesson against Manchester City two years ago,” the coach said, recalling La Dea’s 5-1 defeat at the Etihad Stadium in 2019.
“The level is very high. However, the next two games against United won’t be decisive for the qualification.”
Atalanta have five key players out of action in Rafael Toloi, Matteo Pessina, Berat Djimsiti, Robin Gosens and Hans Hateboer. How will Gasperini cope without them?
“The good thing is that I won’t choose the wrong XI, it will be easier not to make mistakes in the starting line-ups or with substitutions, it’s the only advantage I see,” he said.
“Clearly, we are missing important players, we’ll need to adapt to it. However, I don’t think Atalanta should change their identity, we’ve never done that. That’s how we managed to get to these stages.”
Cristiano Ronaldo will meet Atalanta for the first time since leaving Juventus last summer.
The Portuguese ace has scored three goals in six appearances against La Dea in his career.
“He is an extraordinary player, his numbers speak from themselves,” Gasperini said.
“He keeps scoring and even if Manchester United have slipped up in the Premier League lately, their value is really high.
“We know it will be a difficult game, but it’s normal when you play at this level. Manchester United will react after their defeat against Leicester City, but this is a new competition.
“I watched the game against Leicester, and you must take the opponents into account. We play against a top team and I don’t think they are in crisis.”