Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini reckons his side must take Celtic seriously on Wednesday night despite the Hoops’ 7-1 mauling by Borussia Dortmund on Champions League matchday two.
The Bhoys were embarrassed at Signal Iduna Park a few weeks ago and aim to bounce back in Bergamo.
After a disappointing 2-2 draw with Aberdeen at the weekend, Celtic know they must step up their performance if they are to take anything from Wednesday night’s match.
Atalanta warmed up for the clash with a comfortable 2-0 win away to Venezia yesterday, and post-match, veteran boss Gasperini took time to discuss Celtic.
He was asked if his side could extend their current winning run to four in all competitions versus the Scottish champions.
“You have to play all the games, the results are never a given,” he said (RecordSport).
“Celtic are in another competition, they are in the Champions League, a team used to winning in Scotland.
“They are coming from a bad defeat against Borussia, it’s true, but we will need to be in great shape, we will have to play very well because in the Champions League the games are always difficult. It is not decisive but it is a game that can already be fundamental.”
The game on Wednesday is one of the Celts’ most arduous of the initial league phase.
They won’t rest on getting a result in Italy and know their points will likely come from elsewhere.
Supporters, though, want to see an improvement from the performance in Germany a few weeks ago.
Brendan Rodgers’ men were made fools of by Dortmund, leading to several criticisms of the Irishman’s approach to setting his team up against elite European sides.
Whether he changes his ways on Wednesday or not remains to be seen.
