Just over 24 hours remain for Real Madrid to take to the field for their first official game of the season, and what a game it is set to be.
Taking on the UEFA Europa Cup winners Atalanta in Warsaw, Los Blancos stand a chance to take home their first silverware of the campaign in their first clash of the season.
The trophy, however, will be difficult to earn considering the opposition’s fine form.
While Atalanta’s preseason has not been very promising, one must not forget that they took down Xabi Alonso’s mighty Bayer Leverkusen in the finale of the Europa League last season.
Speaking to the media ahead of the clash, Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini commented on a plethora of topics related to their opposition Real Madrid and the team’s manager.
He began by heaping praise on Carlo Ancelotti whose record in recent years has been nothing short of stunning.
“In recent years Ancelotti has won more than anyone else. In different countries, with different clubs. He is a reference.”
“He is the Italian coach with excellence if we base ourselves on his successes,” he added.
Ancelotti’s pain will be Atalanta’s pleasure
Gasperini then elaborated on how Ancelotti would have a bigger problem in selecting a starting lineup given the squad depth and how he was carefree on that front.
“The good thing is that I can’t make a mistake with the eleven. Ancelotti will have more doubts. It’s difficult to single out anything specific.”
“You don’t know who to expect not to play. I hope they choose their best eleven. A team can only perform at 100% when it’s up against the best,” he added.
The Italian manager then went on to give his two cents on Ademola Lookman, the team’s winger who scored a stunning hat-trick in Atalanta’s win over Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Europa League finale.
“Ademola Lookman? I see him very well in training, he was one of the first to return from vacation to pre-season. Not only did he score in the Europa League final, but we hope he will score tomorrow.”
Atalanta team news
Providing a general team update and a run-through of the situation behind the scenes, Gasperini admitted that his men were more motivated than ever before.
“Atalanta doesn’t have any problems. We have come to play an extremely prestigious game, we come with our classic good vibes and our desire to surprise.”
“We are going to play a game that we know will be very difficult, it is the team with the most trophies in the world. But we are going to try to show that we have pride and our style of play to try to do well tomorrow,” he added.
Finally, the coach stated that his side is looking forward to the challenge of going head-to-head with the best in the business, saying,
“Real Madrid is a higher obstacle (compared to Leverkusen), but that’s why we are more motivated. It doesn’t always happen in football, but sometimes you can surprise yourself.”
Source: Reuters