Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini has said that he would rather face Real Madrid over Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Super Cup competition, as Los Blancos are ‘the most prestigious’ side that La Dea could possibly face.
Atalanta will face the eventual winners of the Champions League final in the Super Cup, which will be held at the Stadion Narodowy in Warsaw on August 14.
La Dea qualified having beaten the then-undefeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-0, in stunning fashion, in the Europa League final in Dublin last Wednesday thanks to an Ademola Lookman hat-trick.
Atalanta have one remaining Serie A match remaining of the 2023-24 campaign, against Conference League finalists Fiorentina on Sunday, but Gasperini hopes to take a well-earned break before returning for pre-season.
Gasperini picks between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund
“I hope for Real Madrid in the European Super Cup,” Gasperini told ANSA, reported via Gianluca Di Marzio.
“We have nothing against Borussia Dortmund, who we also faced years ago in the Europa League, but the European Super Cup final against Real Madrid would be the most prestigious game possible.
Though 18 of 20 Serie A sides have completed their domestic seasons, Atalanta and Fiorentina still need to play out their remaining game in hand, which will bump La Dea up to third, and demote Juventus into fourth, with a victory on Sunday night.
“After winning the Europa League, we thought we could go on holiday, but instead we have another objective in front of us, to reach third place,” Gasperini said.