Palladino: ‘Atalanta have belief in Champions League dream’
Raffaele Palladino admits Atalanta have ‘a difficult mission’ to overturn a 2-0 Champions League play-off defeat to Borussia Dortmund, but ‘dreams can come true and we believe.’
The second leg kicks off at the New Balance Arena in Bergamo on Wednesday at 17.45 GMT (18.45 CET).
La Dea saw their mood boosted over the weekend by a 2-1 comeback victory over Napoli to put them right back in the race for a top four finish in Serie A.
That kind of confidence will be necessary if they are to turn this play-off around against German giants Borussia Dortmund.
Palladino and Atalanta have faith in comeback
“It’s certainly a difficult mission, we know that, but we must give it our best,” Palladino told Sky Sport Italia.
“It will be tough, but we’ll try with everything we’ve got, with great enthusiasm, awareness of our capabilities. We must play with quality, our style of football, and have faith in ourselves. I want to see us push from the first minute to the last.
“We’ve got so much enthusiasm and positive energy, things we need tomorrow. The game with Napoli was a comeback victory, so we must learn from that too. The tie is open, as 2-0 is hard to overturn, but with 90 and maybe more minutes, we can try to cause problems for a team with strong individuals and accustomed to playing at this level.
“We need to be focused, aware, sharp for the full match, and make the most of the fact we’ve got 20,000 fans behind us.”
Atalanta have achieved great things in Europe under Gian Piero Gasperini, but it is a new tournament for Palladino, who took over from Ivan Juric in mid-November.
“We face everyone with the right spirit, we’ve got to enjoy this match, as it is very important in a fascinating competition. We want to carry on playing in Europe, and it’s a valuable experience to play in these knockout fixtures.
“It is a dream to get through to the Round of 16, but dreams can come true, so we’ve got to give it our best.”
Charles De Ketelaere and Giacomo Raspadori are still out of action, but the good news for Atalanta is the return of midfielder Ederson, who was rested against Napoli with a twinge.
“We’ve got an important player back, we’ll see. So many are hungry to play, they made it difficult for me today with a strong training session, and those who come off the bench will be just as important. It’ll be 100 minutes and we need to play them to the best of our capabilities.”
If Atalanta do manage to turn this 2-0 deficit around, will Palladino reward the squad with a special dinner?
“I haven’t thought about it, but if it did happen, we’d perhaps do more than just buy the team dinner! The lads always give their all, they know that when they deserve rewards, I give them.”
It would not be the first time that Atalanta caused an upset in Europe, as they famously beat Liverpool at Anfield Road.
“We hope this dream can come true, we know it’s not easy to overturn a 2-0 deficit against such a strong team, but I see so much positive energy, I believe, the lads believe, the fans believe, so we need a fiery atmosphere in our home stadium. We can’t wait to get on the pitch,” concluded Palladino.