Gasperini reveals best Celtic qualities and Atalanta ’emergency’ | OneFootball

Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini insists La Dea must cope with Celtic’s ‘pace’ in a Champions League meeting tomorrow but reveals an ’emergency’ in defence.

Atalanta host Celtic in the Champions League Round 3 on Wednesday.

La Dea secured two consecutive victories in Serie A and have four points in the Champions League following a draw against Arsenal and a win over Shakhtar Donetsk.

“The latest two victories were a turning point in Serie A, but this is a different competition. Points count more in Round 3, and we can consolidate an already good table,” Gasp said at a press conference as quoted by TMW.

Italy striker Mateo Retegui is the Serie A leading scorer with eight goals in eight appearances.

Gasperini reveals best Celtic qualities and Atalanta ’emergency’

VENICE, ITALY – OCTOBER 20: Mateo Retegui of Atalanta celebrates Mario Pasalic’s goal during the Serie A match between Venezia and Atalanta at Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo on October 20, 2024 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Timothy Rogers/Getty Images)

“We have said everything and beyond about him. He can do even more. He can still grow,” said Gasperini.

“Celtic are accustomed to playing to winning. They have fast players, and we’ll need an excellent performance to win. They attack with many men, so we must be able to cope with their pace. They can score many goals,” he continued.

“Celtic are an attacking-minded team, like those with the ambition to win. They are a big team in Scotland. There are strong teams in the Champions League, and we’ve never changed how we see football, even after our first experiences where we conceded many goals.”

Celtic have been pretty inconsistent in the Champions League this term, winning 5-1 on their debut against Slovan Bratislava and losing 7-1 to Borussia Dortmund in Round 2.

“We must pay attention in the Champions League because top teams can score after any mistake,” insisted Gasperini.

“We’ll never make the error to consider one of their games that didn’t go well. We must be very careful.”

Giorgio Scalvini, Gianluca Scamacca and Odilon Kossounou are injured, while Sead Kolasinac and Isak Hien have a fever, which means Gasp is short of options in defence.

“We must see how things will go in the last training session later today,” said the Atalanta coach.

“There’s an emergency in defence, especially with Hien and Kolasinac. We’ll see today.

“The only uncertainties are in defence. For the rest, we are the same as on Sunday. We’ll try to put our spirit on the pitch tomorrow.”