The moment of truth. Atalanta and Rome find themselves face to face for what, to all intents and purposes, can be considered a play-off for the Champions League. With the Inter-Juve-Lazio triptych up there at the top and his Milan-Napoli so far apart, it is probable that fourth place, barring sensational twists, is in fact a deal between the players from Bergamo and the Giallorossi, which is why today's match, although there are still 16 days to go, it's really very delicate. The speech is especially true for Fonseca's team, separated by 3 points and with the direct match in the first leg lost 2-0: should it go badly tonight, the distance would become quite important, effectively jeopardizing the goal set by the club.
Roma also comes from a double knockout with Sassuolo and Bologna and, more generally, from a terrible start to 2020, made up of one win, one draw and 4 defeats: in short, the match in Bergamo certainly doesn't come at the best time, unless it can serve as a stimulus to reverse the worrying trend. To complete the circle then came the words of Petrachi, who after having railed against the players in the Reggio Emilia locker room (there is also a disagreement with Fonseca) increased the dose in the press conference, accusing the team of having lost humility.
“I don't want to comment on what he said, I'm totally focused on the match – glossed over the Portuguese coach. – Right now I can only say that there is no problem or division, we are all united and working together to have a good race. A difficult evening awaits us, they are a great team, aggressive in the defensive phase, but also with great quality. They have excellent players and a very good coach, it is one of the most complicated games we have." Beyond the customary denials, it is clear that the climate in Rome is far from serene and the soap opera Friedkin certainly doesn't help: this complex transfer of ownership is a further element of general destabilization.
Never like tonight is a positive response from the field needed, perhaps hoping that Atalanta will be a little distracted by the imminent eighth of the Champions League against Valencia. Yes, because the Bergamo players, unlike Roma, certainly cannot consider today's match as the most important challenge of the season: The first round will be up for grabs on Wednesday at the San Siro to access the quarters and this, in some way, could also have an impact. “After this, another 15 will be missing while the Champions League is decided in two games – admitted Gasperini. – Having said that, an important and long-awaited challenge awaits us because we play with the closest direct competitor to us, lately we have been struggling a bit at home but we are convinced that Bergamo can give us further help. However, the best thing is not to look at the standings, but to think about one game at a time."
The feeling is that the Nerazzurri coach, in the end, decides to send the best possible formation onto the field, even if the temptation to do a bit of turnover in view of the Champions League remains an element to consider. Atalanta's 3-4-1-2 should see Gollini in goal, Toloi, Palomino and Djimsiti in defense, Castagne, Freuler, De Roon and Gosens in midfield, Gomez behind the offensive duo made up of Ilicic and Zapata, but remain Hateboer, Pasalic and Malinovskyi are also in the running for a jersey. Several doubts also for Fonseca but here the Europa League (Thursday in Rome against Gent) has nothing to do with it: in fact, the priority is to return to the Champions League, if anything the problem is choosing the right men given the decline in performance in recent times.
The Portuguese will rely on the usual 4-2-3-1 with Pau Lopez between the posts, Bruno Peres, Fazio, Smalling and Spinazzola in the back, Mancini and Veretout in the midfield, Under, Pellegrini and Mkhitaryan in the trocar, Dzeko in attack: the move to advance Mancini has already worked in the autumn, allowing the team to lock down the defense and Fonseca hopes that the benefits will repeat themselves today. Because time passes and the ranking becomes more and more complicated, shaking up the dreams of the current and future ownership, which considers the Champions League even vital.
