Atalanta have the chance to make history on Thursday when they welcome Liverpool to Bergamo with one foot in the Europa League semi-finals thanks to an impressive first-leg win at Anfield.
Atalanta once again punched above their weight last week with a 3-0 thrashing of Liverpool and are on the verge of reaching the semi-finals of a European competition for the first time since 1988.
Back then, Atalanta were a Serie B team and were knocked out of the Cup Winners’ Cup by Belgians Mechelen, but nowadays the Italians are competing and beating an entirely superior class of opponents.
Last week’s victory in England was probably the biggest European night in Atalanta’s history, as their run to the quarter-finals of the 2020 Champions League – where they were desperately unlucky to lose to Paris Saint-Germain – occurred at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. that devastated Bergamo.
It was also unexpected as Atalanta’s recent form has been patchy, with three wins in 11 matches, and wasting a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Verona on Monday reminded coach Gian Piero Gasperini of the dangers of complacency.
“Verona managed to score two goals against us in four minutes, so we need to be careful. Liverpool are a team that recovered from a three-goal deficit in the Champions League final against a team of big names,” Gasperini told Sky Sport on Monday.
“We know that nothing has been decided and that we will have to play very well.”
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A historically small club that plays in the shadow of – and competes for fans with – the Milanese giants, Atalanta has reached new heights since Gasperini took over as coach in 2016.
Atalanta have a habit of breaking new ground, playing modern attacking football and, at the same time, maintaining close ties with a local community that has seen their team leapfrog traditionally bigger clubs like Fiorentina and Lazio.
Liverpool will enter a pitch surrounded by a partially built Gewiss stadium, a project Atalanta has been advancing since reaching a deal with the city of Bergamo to buy the former Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia in 2017.
The new stands, which will vibrate with the most passionate support Italy has to offer, are a reminder of the dilapidated arenas in which most Italian clubs have to play and the progress Atalanta has made over the last eight years.
The only thing missing from Gasperini’s reign in northern Italy is a trophy, but with last week’s incredible victory the path to May’s final in Dublin has been paved.
If Atalanta qualify, they will face either Benfica or Marseille, losing the clash with one of the other two Italian teams remaining in the competition or with the newly crowned German champions Bayer Leverkusen, who are the big favorites to overtake West Ham.
Atalanta were unbeaten in four games against Portuguese league leaders Sporting Lisbon, while Marseille, in their current state, would certainly be preferable semi-final opponents to any team on the other side of the draw.
Meanwhile, Liverpool have won just three of their last eight games in all competitions and are showing clear signs of fatigue having already played 51 games this season.
And with Italian striker Gianluca Scamacca in fine form ahead of Euro 2024 – seven goals in his last eight matches – now is the perfect time for Italy’s giant killers to break new ground.
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