Palladino: ‘Atalanta proud to represent Italy and fans in Munich’
Raffaele Palladino insists Atalanta are ‘proud to represent Italy’ in the Champions League against Bayern Munich and ‘will never forget’ how their fans reacted after a 6-1 defeat.
It kicks off at the Allianz Arena in Munich at 20.00 GMT (21.00 CET).
You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the Liveblog.
Although we saw some remarkable comebacks in the Champions League in recent years, recovering from a 6-1 home defeat would require a sporting miracle.
The main focus for La Dea here is to give a better account of themselves than in the first leg and play with pride, especially as almost 4,000 fans made the trip to Germany.
Palladino inspired by Atalanta fans
“It’s fantastic to be here and we are so proud to be playing in this stadium against such a strong opponent. We are proud to represent Italy as the only side in the Round of 16, and to see so many of our fans come here to be with us,” Palladino told Sky Sport Italia.
“We will never forget that they applauded us after the final whistle of that 6-1 defeat, we want to play for them, and hope tonight to go under the away end to salute them with a better result.”
Yunus Musah is suspended this evening and Giacomo Raspadori is back on the bench, but Charles De Ketelaere gets his first start since suffering meniscus damage in his knee on February 5.
There is also a change in goal, with Marco Sportiello preferred to Marco Carnesecchi.
“I believe in all my lads, from first to last, I reward them for what they show me in training. Sportiello knows this competition, he is an extraordinary guy and he deserved this opportunity tonight,” explained Palladino.
It has not been a great period for Atalanta in general, as their last victory was the 4-1 Champions League result against Borussia Dortmund on February 25.
That was followed by three draws and two defeats between Serie A, the Coppa Italia and Europe.
“We won’t forget that we conceded six goals in the first leg, so naturally we want to prove ourselves. We know that we are up against one of the strongest teams in Europe, but we want to challenge ourselves and grow with this experience.
“Above all, we want to play for our fans and give them something to cheer this evening. We will sweat through that shirt tonight.”