Palladino: ‘Chelsea are strong, but Atalanta want to prove ourselves’

Raffaele Palladino explains his own surprising Atalanta choices and gives his reaction to Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea picks. ‘Chelsea are strong, but we want to prove what we can do.’

It kicks off at the New Balance Arena in Bergamo at 20.00 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Inter vs. Liverpool on the Liveblog.

This is a direct head-to-head for position, as both teams have 10 points in the Champions League table, so a victory here could mean securing a spot in the play-offs.

Palladino was furious after Atalanta’s 3-1 Serie A defeat to rock bottom Hellas Verona over the weekend, as he saw them approach it with the wrong attitude.

“I wanted to see fire in their eyes after a bad performance in Serie A. I saw the right spirit that is needed, especially in these games, against a Chelsea side that won the Club World Cup,” Palladino told Sky Sport Italia.

“They have individual talent, are complete in every respect, so we need to understand the various moments of the match, to attack and defend as a unit.

“We hope to put in a great performance in front of our fans.”

Sead Kolasinac returns to the starting XI in the Champions League for the first time since tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in April.

However, there are surprises with Isak Hien on the bench and youth product Lorenzo Bernasconi launched on the left flank rather than Davide Zappacosta.

“Isak had a flexor issue that was causing him pain after Verona, and we need Kolasinac to play so he can fully recover. We know he is not at 100 per cent, but his mentality, charisma and strength is what we need, so this is the right night to see him in action,” explained Palladino.

“From the first day I’ve been here, Bernasconi has worked really hard and waited for his moment, so I expect a good performance from him tonight.”

Enzo Maresca pulled a few surprises too tonight, as he left 18-year-old sensation Estevao and big signing Alejandro Garnacho on the Chelsea bench.

“Against these teams and these coaches, there isn’t just one game. It’s three, four or five games in one. You have to read the various moments of the match, so we know they have players like Garnacho and Estevao who can come off the bench,” added Palladino.

“However, I am focused on my lads, I know they will give their all and we want to try to compete against a very strong team, to cause them problems. Undoubtedly Chelsea are strong, but we want to prove what we can do as well.”