Ex-Barcelona star: I support Atalanta because of one player

Ivan Rakitic, technical director of Hajduk Split, says he is an ‘Atalanta fan’ because of his compatriot Mario Pasalic: ‘Anything is possible’ against Bayern Munich.

Atalanta have been paired with Bayern Munich in the Champions League Round of 16.

The draw took place in Nyon, Switzerland, today. See how it unfolded on the live blog.

Rakitic: Pasalic is one of my favourite players

Ex-Barcelona star Rakitic, technical director of Hajduk Split, took charge of today’s Champions League draw and spoke to Sky Sport Italia afterwards.

The former Croatia international was asked his thoughts on Atalanta, the only Serie A representative in the Champions League Round of 16 this season.

“I’m an Atalanta fan because of Mario Pasalic, one of my favourite players for a few years,” the ex-midfielder replied (via TMW).

Rakitic won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2015, scoring a goal in a 3-1 victory against Juventus in the Final.

“I support Atalanta. They showed against Dortmund that if you believe and work hard, you can reach certain results,” Rakitic continued.

“Now anything can happen in two games. They must push, believe and work hard. Then they have Mario Pasalic, so anything is possible.”

Atalanta eliminated Borussia Dortmund from the knockout play-off, securing a 4-3 aggregate win.

La Dea completed a stunning comeback in the second-leg tie played in Bergamo on Wednesday, beating the Bundesliga side 4-1 after losing the opening tie in Germany 2-0.