Gasperini: The Atalanta tension building & # 39; | Football Italy

Gian Piero Gasperini thinks that Atalanta deserves the Champions League for its consistent offensive approach. "The tension is rising, but it's positive."

The match with Sbaduolo will begin Sunday at 19:30, English time (18:30 GMT), click here for an overview of the match.

The Orobici are in third place, beating Inter thanks to a record-breaking one-on-one performance. Milan is one point from the end.

"A victory tomorrow would end the season in an exhilarating way," Gasp said at its press conference just days before the loss to the Coppa Italia final against Lazio.

"Everything depends on us. If we do our homework, we will not need to listen to news from other stages. Our destiny is in our hands and we could even finish third. Just fourth seemed almost impossible, so imagine third! "

This is particularly remarkable considering Atalanta's start of the season, which was in the relegation zone after eight innings.

"My guys have been amazing and all the compliments I received should be pbaded on to them. We were very consistent with the results and the performances. We picked up a lot of points and scored a lot of goals.

"People said we were fun to watch, but ultimately, what matters are the results. We beat bigger clubs and we felt we were fighting all the time because we started very badly. It's definitely a quality side, since we scored 100 goals in all competitions.

"How many games did we fall behind and did we come back to win? This has been decisive in our growth process. It is essential for me that players enjoy their football, otherwise they are not so invested in football.

"The common denominator of all our games is that we try to score goals. Usually, the best defense wins in Italy, but when we failed to score, as against Empoli and Chievo, we did not get the win. I noticed that as we gained credibility, the opponents worked harder to neutralize us.

"The win over Naples was decisive because after the incredible 0-0 draw against Empoli, it revived our confidence in the Champions League. Now we have at least the guarantee of the Europa League for the third year in a row and that's something.

"I admit that if we do not go in the Champions League, it will be a huge disappointment.Losing the Coppa Italia was also hard to swallow.

"We have to remember that it's a sport where only one team wins the Scudetto and all those who follow it can not just commit suicide. It's about going beyond your own limits, it's a victory. Otherwise, the sport is useless, because only one wins and the rest can give up. "

The coach has been called a brain for his work over the past three seasons, coaching Atalanta to Europe every time and now on the threshold of his first Champions League campaign.

"The tension in the air is increasing because we are very close to the finish line, but it's a positive voltage. Qualifying for the Champions League would be a historic feat for Atalanta, as we previously thought that the Europa League was the maximum target.

"In a way, I think going out of the preliminary round of FC Copenhagen was a blessing. We could not have played a season like this otherwise. It hurt at the time, but we worked all year to rebuild this bridge with Europe and I do not think that with the group stage we have maintained this consistency in Serie A, Coppa Italia and Europa League. "

While the Stadio Azzurri d'Italia is being restructured, the last two matches of the season take place at the Mapei Stadium in Sbaduolo, Reggio Emilia.

By a strange whim of fate, this decisive match is against Sbaduolo, who will be the team 'absent' in his stadium, but the supporters of Atalanta rush by the thousands.

"It only adds to the madness of the season, but we have overcome so many obstacles and alibis to failure. This is undoubtedly an abnormal situation and I would have preferred to be in Bergamo for a day like this, but the construction of the stadium is another great success for this club, which is developing so quickly. We must accept the occasional inconvenience for this.

"Our supporters have been amazing. Thousands of people followed us in the preliminary round of the Europa League in July 2018. "

Hans Hateboer is suspended and Rafael Toloi injured. We must choose between José Luis Palomino and Gianluca Mancini in defense.

Timothy Castagne and Robin Gosens are expected to take on the back-burner roles with Papu Gomez and Josip Ilicic alongside Duvan Zapata.