Villarreal need to add to an emboldened Atalanta
MADRID, 7 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Villarreal CF visits Atalanta this Wednesday (9:00 p.m.) on the last day of the Champions League, with the aim of not losing in order to advance to the round of 16, against the Bergamo team, built on courage with and without the ball, he arrives on a roll and also with options to keep his European dream alive.
Unai Emery’s men have an oasis in the Champions League in which to forget the results in the rest of the competitions. They are second in Group F, just one point above Atalanta, third in Europa League positions. Their two victories against Young Boys, the group’s ‘Cinderella’, and their draw at home against the Italians allow the people of Castellón to stay alive against rivals of the same or better level.
Villarreal, like FC Barcelona and Sevilla, depends on itself to continue in the Champions League. But the ‘Submarine’ will have to add to those of Gian Piero Gasperini, knowing that the tie is worth them to be in the second round as second in the group, the maximum to which the Europa League champion can aspire, who would be forced to defend his throne if he loses.
But the dynamic of results does not accompany Villarreal, since they have not gone beyond a draw in four of their last five games, with only one victory, in the Copa del Rey; a draw and three defeats, including the 2-0 at home to Manchester United that has seriously compromised their qualifying options.
Despite this, the coach and footballers defend that the squad’s form is “better than the results say”, so they hold on to greater effectiveness and maintain the good moment of the game to achieve a goal that would be “historic” for the Castellón club, according to Emery commented this Tuesday.
And to be more successful in the face of goal, the figure of Gerard Moreno seems key. The Spanish top scorer from last season is not finding the same continuity this year, weighed down by injuries, although the ‘7’ hopes that the match in Bergamo will be a turning point to begin to regain their previous level. Thus, the forward could be in the game this Wednesday, after playing 45 minutes in the last league game.
The Spanish could be accompanied by Danjuma, who is still in discomfort, so Chukwueze would also enter the attack equation. Yeremi Pino is the only safe loss for Emery due to suspension, while Coquelin is doubtful, therefore Trigueros, Capoue and Parejo would make up the midfield of the ‘Submarino’.
Another positive data for Villarreal comes from the benches. Unai Emery has faced Gasperini three times and has never lost, scoring two wins and a draw. However, the balance of the Spanish team against Italian teams is poorer, since they have only achieved one victory, four draws and five defeats.
Villarreal must maintain their personality on the pitch to face the match against Bergamo, who “can drive you crazy” because they are “capable of anything”, as Raúl Albiol acknowledged to the media. For this reason, they hope to dominate with the football that they have been deploying so far, with a lot of prominence of the ball in rapid circulation and a lot of movement among the players, to try to stop the strong pressure and the daring of the Italians.
THE ATALANTA, FAITHFUL TO A MATURE SYSTEM BASED ON COURAGE
For their part, Gian Piero Gasperini’s men come to this important match, chaining 10 consecutive games without losing and after their 3-2 victory against Napoli in Serie A. In addition, at home their scoring ability is more than reliable, since they have seen the door in the last nine games they have played at Gewiss Stadium.
And it is that the atmosphere of the ‘tifosi’ in Bergamo is one more factor to take into account, since they will press until the last minute for their team to achieve the goal, in one of the most fiery stadiums of European football. A defeat could relegate them to third place and play the Europa League.
Atalanta is going through its best moment of the season, settled at the top of Serie A and with a spectacular Duván Zapata, with 12 goals and 9 assists so far this year. The Colombian is the attacking beacon of a team built by Gasperini, who laid the foundations five years ago to now lead a modern and colorful team, which, regardless of the moment of the game, displays a very characteristic offensive game.
Still, he must also overcome a series of sensitive casualties to face Villarreal. The Italian coach will not be able to count on Gosens or Lovato, but presumably he will maintain his classic 3-4-2-1, with Zappacosta and Maelhe in the lanes, Freuler and De Roon as midfield guardians, and Pasalic and Ilicic, from squires of the Colombian Zapata.
DATASHEET.
–POSSIBLE ALIGNMENTS.
ATALANTA: Musso; Tolói, Demiral, Palomino; Zappacosta, Freuler, De Roon, Maehle; Pasalic; Ilicic and Zapata.
VILLARREAL: Rulli; Foyth, Albiol, Pau Torres, Pedraza; Trigueros, Capoue, Parejo, Moi Gómez; Chukwueze and Gerard Moreno.
–ARBITRO: Antony Taylor (ING).
–ESTADIO: Certainly stage.
–TIME: 21: 00 / Movistar Champions League.