Atalanta

Under the Champions League's new format, only the top eight teams in the 36-team table advance automatically to the last 16, with the next 16 best finishers taking part in play-offs to join them in the new year.

Madrid are going well in LaLiga, sitting two points adrift of leaders Barcelona with a game in hand, but they have lost three of their five matches in the Champions League.

They sit 24th in the table ahead of Tuesday's trip to fifth-placed Atalanta. Should they lose in Bergamo, it would be the first time a reigning European Cup/Champions League holder has ever experienced a three-game losing streak in the subsequent campaign.

The Opta supercomputer currently gives Madrid a 5% chance of retaining their Champions League crown, and they only reach the last 16 in 64% of tournament simulations. They are given a 92% chance of featuring in the knockout-phase play-offs.

Ancelotti knows Madrid need a win to assuage any fears of an early exit, and he believes a play-off spot is the limit of Los Blancos' ambitions.

"That is nothing more at stake than three important points that will help us to qualify," the Italian told a press conference on Monday.

"Unfortunately we will have to play an extra round, but that's it, I have a lot of confidence in my team.

"Things have improved, we are now in a good dynamic and will keep improving as we move forward.

"Tomorrow's game could be the most difficult one between now and the end of the year. 

"We are worried about finding a good strategy to beat a very tough opponent like Atalanta, but nothing more."

Ancelotti expects to face a much-improved Atalanta side from the one they beat 2-0 in the UEFA Super Cup in August. 

The Europa League champions top Serie A and are on a nine-game winning streak in all competitions, including victories over AC Milan, Napoli and Roma.

"Atalanta are doing very well, they have improved a lot compared to the Super Cup. They're on a roll and they're full of enthusiasm but that give us a chance to go out there and prove a point while earning three important points," Ancelotti said.

"They are a great team, a club that does a spectacular job despite losing a lot of players every summer. They always find ways to adapt and that says a lot about who they are."

The goal was Mbappe's 12th in 22 appearances for Real Madrid this season and fourth in six matches in all competitions.

Real Madrid have struggled with injuries this season, with plenty of key players missing significant periods. Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao, for example, are out for the remainder of the campaign having suffered ACL tears.

"Mbappe has suffered an overload, an ischial (lower pelvis) discomfort," Ancelotti told Movistar Plus.

"It doesn't seem serious, but we'll see tomorrow after the exams. He couldn't sprint, it was bothering him a bit and we decided to make the substitution."

Despite having initially been on the end of some criticism after his move from Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid, Mbappe looked close to his best here and was in a decent spell of form.

So, he will be disappointed to have picked up the injury after just 35 minutes, when he was replaced by Rodrygo.

Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham both scored in a topsy-turvy game, which saw Real Madrid climb to 18th in the 36-team league and open a two-point gap between themselves and dropping out of the play-off spots.

"It's a very important victory, not everyone wins here," said Ancelotti.

"We suffered and fought hard, there is no Champions League without suffering. They were pushing, but we started well in the second half. We are very happy. It was a win that is very good for us, not just for the points, but to build confidence.

"It's still difficult to finish in the top eight, but we have two games to pick up points. Let's see what happens."

The 25-year-old hobbled off during his country's Nations League 2-1 win over Austria in Oslo on September 9 and returned to London on crutches.

Odegaard missed Sunday's 1-0 derby victory against Tottenham and Arteta revealed the bad news on the midfielder ahead of Arsenal's opening Champions League game away to Atalanta.

"The scans showed that he's got some damage especially on one of the ligaments in the ankle," the Arsenal manager said on Wednesday.

"It's something quite significant so we're going to lose him for a while."

Arteta, whose side are second in the league and two points behind Manchester City, said he hoped it would not be months "but let's see".

Odegaard has become a key player for Arsenal, missing only a handful of games over the last three seasons, and a lengthy absence will come as a huge blow.

"He's our captain. He's been one of the biggest and best players in our team," continued Arteta.

"Our identity is very linked to how he plays and behaves. It's a big test for the team to see how able we are to show a different face."

Norway coach Stale Solbakken told VG newspaper he had been fully updated about the injury and was "preparing for a life without Martin".

"We have to take it week by week and day by day. Some types of damage go faster and some go slower," he said.

The Gunners kickstarted their Champions League campaign with a point, but the result could have been much different if not for Raya's stunning intervention.

Atalanta had the opportunity to take the lead six minutes into the second half when Ederson was brought down by Thomas Partey inside the area. 

Mateo Retegui assumed responsibility from 12 yards, only to see Raya dive to his right to save before springing back to his feet to deny the Italian's header on the follow-up. 

"I witnessed two of the best saves I've ever seen in my career from David in that moment," Arteta said.

"If you can't win, you have to take the point. We started well, then we lost control and were very inconsistent. We didn't suffer defensively, apart from the penalty."

Raya's heroics even drew praise from Arteta's opposite number, Gian Piero Gasperini, who described the double save as "unbelievable".

"He's a cat. The first save is good but the rebound is unbelievable. The goalkeeper has been crucial," Gasperini said. 

The Spaniard became just the fourth Arsenal goalkeeper to save a spot-kick in the Champions League, after Richard Wright, Jens Lehmann and Lukasz Fabianski (all two).

Raya has now also saved four of the last eight penalties he has faced in all competitions, including shoot-outs, having conceded 19 in a row beforehand. 

But the Arsenal goalkeeper remained modest in light of his involvement on what proved to be a difficult night for the Gunners.  

"It was just a penalty, and I was lucky to go the right way," Raya started.

"I was unlucky that the rebound went straight to him, but I was quick enough to get up and save it.

"It is fantastic to be able to keep the clean sheet and to help the team to get at least a point.

"We know this is a tough place to come, they are a magnificent team and put a lot of pressure on us.

"We made it very difficult for them as well, they did not create many chances, the penalty and that's it.

"It's a point away from home in the first game of the Champions League. We could have played better, but I thought we managed the game well.

"We weren't at our best so if we cannot win the game, let's not lose it."

Despite the point at the Gewiss Stadium, Arteta was left wanting more from his players, who struggled in the attacking third against last season's Europa League winners.

The Gunners attempted just six shots against Atalanta, their fewest in a Champions League away game in 10 years, since having just five shots against Borussia Dortmund in 2014.

Arsenal have also now failed to score in three consecutive Champions League away games for the first time since February 2007, while they’re winless in four-straight games (D2 L2) on the road in the competition for the first time since September 2011 (D1 L3).

With a trip to Premier League champions Manchester City this weekend, Arteta is looking for a response from his squad. 

"We had moments with the ball but we never got it into dominance or threat," he said.

"The first 25 minutes we read their approach really good. After that we lost control of the game."

Spaniard Raya dived low to his right to beat away Mateo Retegui's spot-kick in the 51st minute then sprang across his goal to claw away the forward's follow-up header.

That was the most dramatic moment of an otherwise tepid affair in Bergamo, as Mikel Arteta's team produced a gritty away performance against the Europa League holders.

The closest Arsenal came to scoring was a first-half free-kick by Bukayo Saka that was saved well by Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi, while Gabriel Martinelli blasted over the crossbar to cap a rare Gunners attack after the break. 

La Dea, meanwhile, went close to taking all three points when Juan Cuadrado sent a curling effort narrowly wide of the far corner with 67 minutes on the clock.

Arsenal's next Champions League fixture is a heavyweight clash with Paris Saint-Germain on October 1, while Atalanta go to Shakhtar Donetsk the following day.

Data Debrief: Raya heroics key for Arsenal

In a game where Arsenal struggled going forwards, only generating six attempts at goal worth 0.79 expected goals (xG), the Gunners needed Raya to come up trumps.

He became just the fourth Arsenal goalkeeper to save a penalty in the Champions League, after Richard Wright, Jens Lehmann and Lukasz Fabianski (twice).

Including shoot-outs, he has now kept out four of the last eight penalties he has faced in all competitions, having conceded each of the previous 19 he faced.

The hosts endured a frustrating day in Bergamo, where they were unable to find the breakthrough, despite registering 22 shots on goal to their opponents' four.

Atalanta had collected four points from their opening two games, and quickly established their authority on proceedings.

They went closest to scoring in the 18th minute, when Mario Pasalic rattled the crossbar with his header from Davide Zappacosta's cross.

The hosts continued to control the contest and push for the opening goal in the second half, enjoying just under 70% of the possession.

However, a combination of stubborn defending and Kasper Schmeichel heroics saw Celtic hold on for a hard-earned point.

Data Debrief: Italian Job well done by Celtic

Celtic had lost all seven of their previous Champions League away matches in Italy. The Hoops had also suffered defeat in eight of their last nine games in the competition on the road.

However, they held firm to stop the rot, with Kasper Schmeichel becoming the first Celtic goalkeeper to make as many as six saves and keep a clean sheet in a Champions League game on record.

As for Atalanta, they are only the second team in the Champions League (2008-09 onwards) to register 20+ shots and 50+ touches in the opposition box during a single match without scoring.

The English teenager fired home the opener before Dusan Vlahovic made the points safe in stoppage time, lifting the Bianconeri above Inter and Lazio in the race for Champions League qualification. 

Massimiliano Allegri's side made it back-to-back Serie A victories despite spending long periods under pressure at Gewiss Stadium, with Atalanta registering 24 shots with no reward and twice hitting the woodwork.

The hosts thus missed their opportunity to close the gap on the top four, to which they remain five points adrift.

Atalanta almost gifted Juventus the lead in the 22nd minute as Angel Di Maria pounced on Teun Koopmeiners' loose pass before shooting wide of the far post, while Arkadiusz Milik sent a header off target.

Juventus survived a couple of huge scares before the break. Giorgio Scalvini's header hit the post from Koopmeiners' corner, before Mario Pasalic fired over from 12 yards in stoppage time.

But the visitors broke the deadlock 11 minutes after the restart. Iling-Junior stole possession and fed Adrien Rabiot, before reacting quickest to fire into the roof of the net after the midfielder's cross ricocheted into his path.

Atalanta looked to respond with substitute Luis Muriel shooting wide from distance, while Wojciech Szczesny beat away Koopmeiners' fierce free-kick and Davide Zappacosta stuck the foot of the post from the edge of the area.

After keeping their opponents at bay, Juve sealed the points in the dying moments. Federico Chiesa raced away on the counter before feeding Vlahovic, who whipped a wonderful 20-yard strike into the top corner.

Only moments after being denied a winner by Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, Lookman arrived unmarked at the far post to nod in a corner in the 87th minute to seal a hard-fought win. 

With 34 points from 15 matches, Tullio Gritti's side are now two points clear of second-placed Napoli, who will play Lazio at home on Sunday. 

Charles De Ketelaere scored against his former club to put Atalanta ahead in the 12th minute, rising highest to head home Marten de Roon's free-kick. 

But Milan struck back 10 minutes later when Rafael Leao's cross into the box was turned home by Alvaro Morata for his fourth league goal of the season. 

The second half was an evenly contested affair, with both sides creating several chances before Lookman struck the decisive blow to leave Paulo Fonseca's side seventh in the table. 

Data Debrief: Atalanta's dream run continues 

The win against the Rossoneri was Atalanta's ninth consecutive victory in Serie A this season, matching the club record set between February and July 2020.

They have also now scored at least two goals in each of their last 12 home games in Serie A, becoming the first team to do so after Juventus between November 2006 and January 2008. 

Only Barcelona (48) have scored more than Atalanta's 38 goals in the five major European Leagues this season.

Lookman's winner was his 11th Serie A goal of the season, and he has been involved in 18 goals in his last 18 league games, also bagging seven assists.

The Europa League winners faced the Europa Conference League runners-up in Bergamo one week after the rest of the league played their final games of 2023-24, with the teams unable to meet before now due to their European commitments. 

A victory would have taken Gian Piero Gasperini's team – who were guaranteed a top-four finish – above Juventus into third, but Andrea Belotti put them behind within six minutes.

Ademola Lookman raced clear to equalise with a dinked finish within six further minutes, but Nicolas Gonzalez's fine volley soon re-established the Viola's lead.

Scalvini drilled in a terrific shot to pull Atalanta level again shortly after the hour mark, but his game would later end in tears as he was helped from the field with an apparent knee issue – a major concern for Italy less than two weeks out from their Euro 2024 opener.

Belotti had put Fiorentina back in the lead following a goalmouth scramble on the stroke of half-time, and Atalanta were unable to force a leveller in the second period as their fine season ended on a flat note.

Data Debrief: Thrilling end to Serie A season

Sunday's game – the final Serie A contest of 2023-24 – saw more first-half goals scored than any other match in the competition this term. Belotti got two of the five, and he now has seven goal involvements (six goals, one assist) in his last six league games against Atalanta.

The result is just a minor inconvenience for La Dea, though. They have finished in Serie A's top four for just the fifth time in their history, previously doing so in 2016-17 (fourth), 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 (all third). 

Madrid handed the Serie A leaders their first defeat in this season's revamped Champions League, having got off to a flying start via Mbappe.

The France international fired into the bottom-left corner in the 10th minute, though he was withdrawn due to an injury 10 minutes before the break.

Charles de Ketelaere equalised with a penalty after Aurelien Tchouameni tripped Sead Kolasinac from behind on the stroke of half-time, but that parity was short-lived as Vinicius slid home on the rebound in the 56th minute.

Bellingham extended Madrid's lead by capping a counterattack three minutes later, with Ademola Lookman reduced the deficit by curling home in the 65th minute.

Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois worked his magic with a string of saves in the latter stages, as Los Blancos moved up to 18th in the 36-team table on nine points, three points off the top eight. Atalanta, meanwhile, are ninth on 11 points. 

Data Debrief: Half-century for Mbappe

Mbappe's goal was his 50th in the Champions League, making him the ninth player to reach that milestone in the competition.

At 25 years and 356 days old, he is the second-youngest to achieve the feat, after Lionel Messi did so at 24 years and 284 days.

Ancelotti will be concerned by the sight of him exiting with an injury midway through the first half, having appeared to pull something while making a run in behind.

Mbappe's goal set Madrid on the way to their first away Champions League victory since beating RB Leipzig 1-0 in the last 16 last season – they had gone four without a win on the road before this one (two draws, two defeats).

Gian Piero Gasperini's side moved five points clear of Napoli ahead of their fixture with Udinese on Saturday, but Atalanta were indebted to goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi.

Carnesecchi made eight saves throughout the contest, producing a stunning stop to deny Cagliari's Sebastiano Luperto a late equaliser. 

But the decisive moment came in the 66th minute when Nicolo Zaniolo turned Raoul Bellanova's cross in at Alen Sherri's near post, just 97 seconds after coming on. 

Zaniolo's last eight goals in Serie A have arrived in away games, after six of his previous seven goals in the competition had been netted in home matches.

Atalanta have also now won five away games in a row in Serie A for the first time since doing so between October and December 2021 (six).

The Turkey international was a regular fixture for Atalanta last season, making 42 appearances across all competitions and scoring twice, and the Serie A club have decided to make his stay permanent.

Atalanta had a purchase option for the defender as part of the deal that brought him to the club for the 2021-22 season, and they have now exercised that clause, paying €20million for the services of the 24-year-old.

The deal could rise by a further €2.5m if additional clauses are met, while Juventus will also receive 10 per cent of any future transfer fee that is earned from a sale of Demiral.

It had been suggested that Atalanta would not exercise their option to sign the 35-cap Turkey international but they confirmed their move on Friday, with Juventus then issuing their own confirmation on Sunday.

The transfer does not fully answer the questions regarding his future, however, as Newcastle United remain attributed with an interest in the services of Demiral, with reports indicating he is seen as an alternative to Lille defender Sven Botman.

Twenty-two years later, Xabi Alonso's Werkself have already gone some way to banishing those ghosts by making Bundesliga history, Saturday's 2-1 win over Augsburg completing their unbeaten title-winning campaign.

This week, they have a chance to make it an unbeaten treble, heading to Dublin for Wednesday's Europa League final before taking on Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal on Saturday. 

Looking to deny Bayer one of the greatest achievements in recent memory are Atalanta, participating in their first European final following a memorable run that included a stunning quarter-final elimination of Liverpool.

Ahead of the first of 2023-24's European finals, here's the key storylines and Opta facts surrounding the two contenders.  

One down, two to go

Wednesday's game offers Bayer the chance to complete the second leg of an unbeaten treble. 

On Saturday, they became the first team in Bundesliga history to enjoy an unbeaten season, while only Arsenal (in 2003-04) and Juventus (2011-12) had previously achieved the feat in Europe's top five leagues this century. 

Leverkusen are still unbeaten in 51 games in all competitions this season (42 wins, nine draws), with 12 of those coming in the Europa League (nine wins, three draws). 

Three sides have previously won the competition without losing a game, with each of those triumphs coming within the last five editions – Chelsea in 2018-19, Villarreal in 2020-21 and Eintracht Frankfurt in 2021-22.  

Wednesday's match will be the third major European final in Leverkusen's history, with Bayer beating Espanyol in a two-legged UEFA Cup final in 1988 and losing 2-1 to a Zinedine Zidane-inspired Real Madrid in the 2002 Champions League showpiece. 

Alonso has taken Germany and Europe by storm with his brand of progressive, possession-based football, and Bayer's total of 6,622 successful passes in the Europa League this season is the most by any team in a single edition since 2019-20 victors Sevilla recorded 6,971. 

Their passing accuracy of 89.5 per cent is the second highest on record (behind Nice in 2017-18, 90 per cent), while their 94.3 per cent success rate with short passes is the best ever recorded in a Europa League campaign.

But even when Leverkusen have been less than free-flowing, they have found ways to avoid defeat.

They squandered a 2-0 first-leg lead in the second leg of their semi-final tie against Roma, only to fight back for a 2-2 draw which saw them progress 4-2 on aggregate. Josip Stanisic scored a 97th-minute equaliser in that game, the sixth goal Bayer have scored in the 90th minute or later in the Europa League this term.

That is the most ever managed by a team in a single major European campaign, and they also rescued their unbeaten Bundesliga record with last-gasp strikes against Borussia Dortmund and Stuttgart last month.

If Leverkusen find themselves with their backs against the wall on Wednesday, viewers would be wise not to rule them out.

Can the nearly men get over the line?  

Leverkusen's Bundesliga triumph has allowed them to shake off their "nearly men" tag, but Atalanta are hoping it's a case of fourth time lucky for them in major finals under Gian Piero Gasperini.

La Dea, whose only major trophy win came in the Coppa Italia in 1962-63, were beaten 1-0 by Juventus in the Coppa Italia final last week – their third loss in that competition's showpiece game under Gasperini.

However, they bounced back with a 2-0 Serie A win over Lecce on Saturday, Gianluca Scamacca and Charles De Ketelaere scoring as they secured a top-five finish and Champions League qualification for 2024-25.

A return to Europe's premier club competition is just reward for a fine campaign for the Bergamo club, who will finish a Serie A season with more than 65 points (currently 66) for the fifth time (with all seasons adjusted for three points per win).

The four previous instances – in 2016-17 (72), 2018-19 (69), 2019-20 (78) and 2020-21 (78) – also all came under Gasperini. 

While their free-flowing attacking play has returned this campaign, La Dea have also been excellent without the ball, facing just 2.8 shots on target per Europa League game on average. That is the lowest rate of any team in the 2023-24 competition, with opponents Bayer facing 4.1 per match.

Their backline can expect to be tested on Wednesday, though, with Bayer's total of 232 shots in the Europa League this season the most by any team in a single edition since Chelsea tallied 247 in 2018-19.

The coaches

Fans can expect an intriguing tactical battle between two progressive coaches at the Aviva Stadium.

Gasperini has overseen the most successful period in Atalanta's history since taking charge in 2016, though this will be his first European final as a manager. 

At the age of 66 years and 117 days, he will become the oldest coach to take charge of his first major European final, and the oldest overall since Jupp Heynckes led Bayern Munich to glory in the 2013 Champions League final (68 years, 16 days).

His counterpart Alonso – at the age of 42 years and 179 days – will be the youngest coach to manage a men's European final since Roberto Di Matteo oversaw Chelsea's memorable victory in the 2012 Champions League final at the age of 41 years and 356 days, beating Heynckes' Bayern.

Having played for Liverpool in the 2005 and 2007 Champions League finals, Alonso will also become just the fourth person to play in and manage in a major European final this century.

Zidane played for Madrid in the 2002 Champions League final then managed them in the 2016, 2017 and 2018 editions. Antonio Conte played for Juventus in the 2003 Champions League showpiece and coached Inter for the 2020 Europa League final, while Giovanni van Bronckhorst achieved the feat as a Barcelona player (2006 Champions League) and Rangers boss (2022 Europa League).

Players to watch

The likes of Alejandro Grimaldo, Victor Boniface, Granit Xhaka and Robert Andrich have played crucial roles for Bayer this season, but their key man is undoubtedly Florian Wirtz, who was named Bundesliga Player of the Year on Monday.

Wirtz scored 11 goals and provided 11 assists throughout Bayer's triumphant Bundesliga campaign, also recording eight goal involvements (four goals, four assists) in the Europa League this term – the most of any Leverkusen player.

Meanwhile, his total of 28 open-play chances created in the 2023-24 competition has only previously been bettered by five players in a single edition, most recently Amin Younes for Ajax in 2016-17 (30).

For Atalanta, all eyes will be on Scamacca, who scored outstanding goals against Liverpool and Marseille in the last two rounds.

The former West Ham striker has six goals in the Europa League this season, a tally only previously bettered by two Italian players in a single edition. Giuseppe Rossi netted 10 times for Villarreal in the 2010-11 tournament, while Ciro Immobile scored eight for Lazio in 2017-18.

Prediction 

Leverkusen enter Wednesday's game as favourites, with the Opta supercomputer rating their chances of victory within 90 minutes at 50.2 per cent.

Atalanta, however, should not be ruled out, having won seven of their nine matches since losing 1-0 in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie against Liverpool (one draw, one defeat).

They are assigned a 24.4 per cent chance of victory, with 25.4 per cent of the supercomputer's match simulations finishing level, which would mean extra time and potentially penalties. 

Like the vast majority of European football, Spain's LaLiga is on hiatus at least until April due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has impacted several teams.

Real Madrid were put in quarantine after a basketball player at the club was found to have contracted the virus, while Valencia confirmed 35 per cent of tests on those associated with Los Che came back positive.

Some have put Valencia's high infection rate down to them facing Atalanta of Italy in the Champions League earlier this month – they were then Alaves' last opponent before the league was suspended.

A statement on Alaves' website read: "A total of 15 people have tested positive, three of them belonging to the Deportivo Alaves first team, seven more to the coaching staff and none to the basketball team. Five workers have also been affected.

"The club made the decision to carry out the tests with respect to the responsibility policy with the people who are part of our family and the results have shown that it was the best way to urgently locate the cases and implement preventive measures to reduce, as far as possible, more infections.

"The people detected are asymptomatic and in good health."

COVID-19 has infected 208,000 people worldwide since his emergence from the Hubei region of China late last year.

With 13,910 confirmed cases, Spain is the second worst-affected European nation behind Italy.

Gian Piero Gasperini's side played out a thrilling 4-3 win over Valencia at Mestalla on Tuesday, with Josip Ilicic scoring all of Atalanta's goals in a wonderful individual display.

Victory secured Atalanta an 8-4 aggregate win, seeing them qualify for the last eight for the first time.

But the club has urged fans to not greet them at the airport or have public gatherings to celebrate, with a government decree on Monday putting the country on lockdown following the spread of COVID-19.

A statement posted on Twitter read: "Atalanta, in compliance with the Ministerial Decree of March 9, for the purpose of safeguarding public health, invites all people not to create gatherings in the center of Bergamo, at the Orio al Serio airport or at the Centro Bortolotti [Atalanta's training base] in Zingonia when the team returns from Valencia."

Gasperini revealed over the weekend he was scared while appearing to suffer from COVID-19 as Atalanta defeated Valencia 4-3 behind closed doors in the Champions League on March 10.

Atalanta advanced to the Champions League quarter-finals 8-4 on aggregate at the Mestalla before the 2019-20 football season was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In light of Gasperini's comments, LaLiga outfit Valencia released a statement, which read: "Valencia CF wish to publicly express our surprise at comments made by Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini which appeared in the Italian press this Sunday, stating that, both the day before and the day of the match played on March 10th at Mestalla, the coach of our opposing team in the UEFA Champions League last-16 game was aware of suffering symptoms theoretically compatible with those of coronavirus, without taking preventive measures. Such actions, if this was the case, would have put at risk numerous people during the trip to – and stay in – Valencia.

"It should be remembered that this game was held behind closed doors amidst strict safety measures, on the order of the Spanish health authorities, to prevent the risk of COVID-19 contagion, precisely due to the presence of persons from an area already publicly classified as 'at risk' at that time."

LaLiga and Serie A have been suspended since March but the two leagues are preparing to return following the COVID-19 crisis.

The Seville derby between Sevilla and Real Betis will headline LaLiga's return on June 11 in Spain.

Italy's Serie A, meanwhile, is scheduled to restart on June 20.

Gasperini revealed last week he was scared as he appeared to suffer from COVID-19 as Atalanta defeated Valencia 4-3 behind closed doors in the Champions League on March 10.

The Bergamo outfit advanced to the quarter-finals 8-4 on aggregate at Mestalla, although the competition has since been suspended due to the virus.

Valencia expressed "surprise" at Gasperini's comments, suggesting his actions "put at risk numerous people" in the city.

However, Percassi does not wish to drag the saga out, insisting he and Gasperini followed the rules and are moving forward.

"I am with Gasperini and the players. I am looking ahead," he told L'Eco di Bergamo.

"The controls say that, like Atalanta with our members, we did everything in compliance with the rules and with the utmost prudence.

"This is fundamental for us. We are in Bergamo."

With the Champions League reportedly set to resume in August, Atalanta will first return to Serie A action on June 21 as they look to secure qualification for Europe's elite club competition for next season.

La Dea are fourth, three points clear of fifth-placed Roma with a game in hand.

Like all major competitions across the world, Serie A is on hiatus as part of efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19, with northern Italy particularly badly affected by the virus.

Mancini was due to lead the Azzurri at Euro 2020 in June, but the tournament has been put back 12 months.

The former Inter and Manchester City boss believes sport can act as a social boost for a population hit hard by the events of recent weeks.

"It is a terrible thing for many families who have lost loved ones," Mancini told SportMediaset.

"I hope everything returns as before. I heard some guys [players], they are all well and I hope we can go back to playing as soon as possible.

"I hope it starts because football is also a very important social thing, then we'll see what will happen.

"And I hope this terrible thing will end soon. It will take a little more attention, but we deserve to go back to living as before. Everything that happened was unjust."

Serie A paused in the midst of a gripping title race, with long-reigning champions Juventus one point ahead of surprise package Lazio with 12 games remaining.

Mancini believes the unscheduled and lengthy break will lead to unpredictability if the action resumes, meaning he refuses to rule former employers Inter in third and free-scoring Atalanta in fourth out of contention.

"I think anything can happen because there has never been such an upheaval," he said.

"It's difficult to make predictions. Juventus are in the lead and remain the strongest, but anything can happen.

"Inter could also be back in the race and Atalanta. When you stop for so long it can change everything. Nothing is excluded."

Lippi has been without a job since resigning as China head coach in November last year following a 2022 World Cup qualifying defeat to Syria – his second stint in charge of the Asian nation lasting just six months.

The 72-year-old tasted silverware with Italy, Serie A giants Juventus and Chinese powerhouse Guangzhou Evergrande but the Italian great will not be returning to the dugout.

"I'm definitely done with the coaching job," Lippi told Radio Sportiva. "That's right, it's enough.

"Maybe I could be useful in other roles, let's see. But nothing until spring."

After spells with Atalanta and Napoli, Lippi took charge of Juventus in 1994 – guiding the Bianconeri to three Serie A titles and the club's last Champions League trophy in 1995-96.

Across two stints as Juve coach, sandwiched in between a one-year tenure with rivals Inter, Lippi won five Serie A trophies, four Supercoppa Italiana crowns, the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup and Coppa Italia.

After leaving Juventus in 2004, Lippi helped Italy to World Cup glory in 2006 and he was re-appointed by the Azzurri in 2008 following two years away from the national team.

In China, Lippi joined Guangzhou Evergrande in 2012 and claimed three Chinese Super League titles and the AFC Champions League trophy to go with Chinese FA Cup and Chinese FA Super Cup success.

Atalanta triumphed 3-0 at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, with Ademola Lookman scoring a first-half brace before Mateo Retegui made the points safe for La Dea.

They are now up to third in the table, just three points behind leaders Napoli and two adrift of reigning champions Inter in second.

Gasperini's team have been tipped to challenge for the title after inflicting Antonio Conte's first three-goal defeat in a home Serie A match since 2009, but he is simply taking things one game at a time.

"There are still 27 matches to go, and if you see Atalanta as winning the Scudetto I respect your opinion," he told reporters.

"However all the games are different, I don't know if we will always manage to have such a strong structure. 

"If we manage to widen the circle a bit with other players we will progress but we will see further on."

Gasperini added integrating Atalanta's new players will be key, given the rigours of combining a title push with a potential Champions League run.

"The core of the team is very strong because last year we faced the Europa League and secured a Champions League spot, playing every three days," he said.

"We lost Koop [Teun Koopmeiners] but we've brought in several players, with Retegui adapting the quickest. 

"How well we can integrate these new players will determine our competitiveness."

Vice-captain Marten de Roon echoed those sentiments, saying: "Our team achieved a great result, we showed that we are at a high level. 

"We are not thinking about the Scudetto yet, it is a word very far from our objective. We must remain humble; at the end of the championship we will see where we get to. 

"We have a very clear way of playing, always pressing high to keep the attackers high."