In two weeks and one day (on February 24) the paths of Atalanta and Real Madrid will cross to play the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, whose last edition Gian Piero Gasperini's team was a great revelation upon arrival for the first time to the quarterfinals. In the countdown to the great duel against the 13-time European champion (who was eliminated in the last 16 by Pep Guardiola's Manchester Cty), Atalanta alternates lights and shadows. But they have only lost one match in 2021: 1-3 against Lazio in Serie A.
The Bergamo team will seek this Wednesday to qualify for the Coppa Italia final (to be played on May 19) in the semi-final round against Naples (in the first leg, 0-0 at the MaradonaI stadium. It would be the second Coppa de the history of Atalanta (after the one they achieved in the 1962-63 season, in which they defeated Torino 3-1 in the final).
In fact, Torino is the last rival that Atalanta has encountered in the current Serie A. Those from Bergamo won 3-0 against Garnets last Saturday and let the match tie. One more blow to the aspirations of Gasperini's men to climb positions to enter the Champions League.
In fact, Atalanta occupies the same position in Serie A as when 2021 started: it is 7th and, as then, 12 points behind Milan. At present it is 3 in the Champions League and fourth (occupied by Roma), and at the beginning of the year it was 4 (Sassuolo occupied fourth place).
On January 23, Atalanta became the second and last team to defeat the leader Milan in the current Serie A (0-3 at San Siro), a highly prestigious result, but on the 31st they lost at home against Lazio by 1 -3, four days after having eliminated the Romans from the Coppa Italia. Atalanta's top scorer in this Serie A, Luis Muriel, has 12 goals (3 in the last 3 games).
ATALANTA'S RESULTS IN 2021
A series
Atalanta-Sassuolo 5-1
Atalanta-Parma 3-1
Benevento-Atalanta 1-4
Atalanta-Genoa 0-0
Udinese-Atalanta 1-1
Milan-Atalanta 0-3
Atalanta-Lazio 1-3
Atalanta-Torino 3-3
Coppa Italy
Eighths
Atalanta-Cagliari 5-1
Rooms
Atalanta-Lazio 3-2
Semifinals (first leg)
Naples-Atalanta 0-0