Atalanta vs FC Copenhagen 24/08/18

24 August 2018

At the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia in Bergamo, Atalanta will host FC Copenhagen in the first leg of the Europa League playoff round.After the end of last season, the Goddess has featured in a total of in a total of 10 matches, including four in the Europa League qualifications and one in Serie A, winning nine of them, while drawing just once in the process. Following a stunning 8-0 win over Sarajevo on the road, Gian Piero Gasperini’s players have demolished Hapoel Haifa 6-1 on aggregate, and they’ve maintained an impressive form even this week, defeating Frosinone in the first Serie A fixture by four goals to nil. The former Genoa manager hopes to repeat last season’s success and reach the Europa League group stage, but Copenhagen will have their say in this encounter. The Danish side, who are currently leading the Danish Superliga, are yet to lose an away match this season, as they have achieved five triumphs out of six games on the road, while only drawing with Aarhus last weekend. Before reaching the Europa League playoff round, Ståle Solbakken’s team has eliminated KuPS, Stjarnan, and CSKA Sofia, but playing against the Italian side will be a much harder challenge.

Marco Varnier, Jose Palomino, and Josip Ilicic are all sidelined in the home squad, while Jonas Older Wind and Jose Zeca won’t be available for the visitors.