Hello world!
I had the great pleasure of watching the first leg of this game, played in front of a baying, wildly entertained audience at the San Siro in Milan. Those were different times, more innocent times. There will be no fans tonight, but there will probably be goals: it’s more than a month since either side last kept a clean sheet, and in their most recent league game Atalanta thrashed Lecce 7-2. That was 10 days ago, the only match they have played since winning the first leg of this one 4-1 on 19 February. There may be a little ring-rustiness, but there should at least be no sign of fatigue. “We need to score, as well as stay focused and defend well,” said Gian Piero Gasperini. “A psychological aspect of our game that we are working on is … we seem to get comfortable and assume the job is done when it really is not. The team were great in the first leg, but I will not celebrate until the second leg is over.”
The Valencia coach, Albert Celades, insisted that “the result from the first leg isn’t a fair reflection of what happened in the game”, which is true: Maxi Gómez displayed the finishing skills of a kitten as he spurned a number of fine chances in that one. He won’t be spurning any chances tonight, though, as he’s kept out by a broken foot. Still, where there’s life there’s hope: “I don’t think we need a miracle to progress, not at all,” surmised Albert Celades. I think I speak for all who saw the first game when I say: more of the same, please.
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