Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini believes his side have what it takes to finish fourth after securing an important 2-1 victory over Roma on Saturday.
The result sees La Dea increase their gap over the Giallorossi to six points in the race for the final Champions League spot, as goals from Jose Luis Palomino and Mario Pasalic completed the second-half comeback.
“We have certain balances and can change things during a match,” Gasperini told DAZN after the match. “Today we struggled to create chances in the first half.
“There are moments in a match where Pasalic’s role is important, but at the same time we can use [Papu] Gomez who is more attacking. However scoring after 19 seconds is something you can’t plan.
“The important thing was to find balance in the middle of the park. What we experience in our stadium is amazing, and it will be like that on Wednesday at the San Siro. Bergamo is a city that travels, as the fans helped us even when we were behind.
“It’s an important win but there are still 14 matches. We are convinced we have what it takes to finish fourth. Our gap over Roma isn’t definitive, as they are a strong team but we believe we can finish ahead.”
Atalanta square off with Valencia in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie, and Gasperini anticipates it will be an exciting encounter.
“I saw their match against Atletico Madrid,” he added. “They are a tough side and it will be a difficult match.
“Valencia are one of the team’s we wanted to face, but they have great abilities and it will be an entertaining match.”
Source: forzaitalianfootball.com