Atalanta’s General Director Umberto Marino believes Liverpool will have the ‘same spirit’ as Cagliari and urges the Nerazzurri to improve through ‘hard work.’
La Dea suffered a 2-1 loss against Cagliari on Sunday, days before the Europa League quarter-final first leg against Liverpool at Anfield.
The Nerazzurri sit 6th in the Serie A table, eight points below fourth-placed Bologna with a game in hand.
They have reached the Coppa Italia semifinals and the Europa League quarter-finals, so they remain involved in every competition this season.
“We know how hard we’ve worked to reach this target and earn the chance to play against Liverpool,” Atalanta’s general manager Marino told Sky Sport Italia on Monday, as quoted by TMW.
“They are a strong technical team that will have the same spirit as Cagliari. We must keep our identity with the same desire as a provincial side.
“We must learn from mistakes and try to improve with hard work, but this is part of our culture.”
Atalanta beat Liverpool away in a Champions League group stage game in 2020-21 but that match was played behind closed doors because of the COVID pandemic.
“This game will get into the Atalanta history book. Playing at Anfield with a crowd, not like in 2020, will be something to remember for our entire lives,” said Marino.
“For us in Bergamo, it was a strange season. From the sporting side, it was marvellous because we won in that stadium. A unique experience.”
Over 2,000 Atalanta fans are expected in Liverpool on Thursday and Marino showed gratitude for the support.
“We always feel it. We have already played epic away games and those were unforgettable moments for them,” he concluded.
Atalanta won their Europa League group and eliminated Sporting CP from the Round of 16. This is the fifth time in history that Atalanta have played in the Europa League quarter-finals.