“We have to play a good game. We will play our football style to contain this great team and then work on our virtues.”
Atalanta have to play a good game
Gian Piero Gasperini believes that while Real Madrid are the favourites to qualify for the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, Atalanta could still turn the tie and knock Los Blancos out of the competition. Ferland Mendy’s goal in the first match gave Real Madrid a narrow 1-0 win over La Dea, and the two sides will face each other again on Tuesday’s return leg at Estadio Alfredo di Stefano. “Real Madrid are favourites, especially after the result of the first game. But they will still be in the tie,” Gasperini told reporters. “We have to play a good game. We will play our football style to contain this great team and then work on our virtues”. Casemiro is suspended for the game against Atalanta, and Zinedine Zidane could have played with three men from behind. Still, Gasperini stressed that La Dea’s tactics do not depend on the tactics of their opponents.
“We are ready to play in our way,” the coach continued. “I don’t know how Real Madrid will play, but our XI does not depend on it. They can change several times during the game, but we are ready to react. Our team does not depend on what Zidane will do”. When asked about his disappointment after the red card shown to Remo Freuler in the first leg, Gasperini explained that the referee’s decision changed the game’s course. “It was not frustration and it was the displeasure of not having been able to play a normal game,” noted Gasperini. “It took us out of what we are used to since we could only defend. But that has already happened. Our idea is never to park the bus in front of the goal.”