Percassi: ‘Atalanta have great faith in Juric, we are a family’

Atalanta director Luca Percassi insists that the club have ‘great faith’ in head coach Ivan Juric, and has shared his memories of the last time La Dea played away against Marseille in Europe ahead of the meeting of the two sides in the Champions League on Wednesday night. 

It kicks off at the Stade Velodrome at 20.00 GMT.

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

Atalanta last played at the Stade Velodrome on their way to winning the Europa League in 2023-24. La Dea beat Marseille 3-1 on aggregate over two legs of the semi-final, which included a 1-1 draw away in France. 

“I remember a fantastic stadium, it was a really tough draw, but it allowed us to play the second leg at home in the best position. Being in this stadium makes you realise the beauty of football,” Percassi told Sky Sport Italia ahead of kick-off on Wednesday.

There are reports that Juric could be in trouble after a series of disappointing results, including a run of five consecutive Serie A draws until Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Udinese.

In the Champions League, they lost 4-0 to PSG and beat Club Brugge 2-1, but wasted so many scoring opportunities in a disappointing 0-0 against Slavia Prague.

“Every game is important, we are at the start of a new era, but we have great faith in the coach and our squad, above all we know how intelligent our fans are in supporting Atalanta during this period. This is what stands Atalanta apart, as the fans have always supported us during tough times, and we continue with that guarantee.

“We are a family, it is our habit before games for my father to come to Zingonia. People talk about it being a negative period, but Atalanta lost only one game in 10 Serie A rounds. We don’t have the points that we deserved, so obviously are not too happy with the results, but the performances warranted more.

“We must keep our balance and not lose sight of our reality.”