Atalanta already has her starting ticket for the quarter-finals of the Champions League in his pocket, because the Italians managed to beat poor Valencia by no less than 4-1 in the first game in the eighth finals of three weeks ago. However, the Spaniards have not yet given up hope, and are going to an empty Mestalla for a thunderous stunt.
Valencia:
Valencia needs a miracle on Tuesday evening to still qualify for the quarter finals of the Champions League. Only four times before in the history of the Champions League did a team manage to qualify for the next round after a defeat of three goals or more. In addition, the Spaniards managed to win only one of their last seven matches in all competitions, and that this corona virus return will be played behind closed doors.
The prospects are therefore not exactly favorable, but Valencia has certainly not yet thrown in the towel. “We go every game full for the win,” said captain Dani Parejo, who last weekend helped his team with a wonderful free kick to a 1-1 draw at Alaves. “It is very disappointing that we cannot count on the support of our fans in our most important game of the season.” That frustration is understandable, because thanks to the twelfth man, Valencia is virtually unbeatable this season in his own Mestalla. In all competitions only Ajax with a 0-3 win managed to escape from the Spanish orange city with the full booty.
Atalanta:
Three weeks ago, Atalanta did a lot of football-loving Europe, when the Italians, led by Hans Hateboer, played a great role in destroying poor Valencia in the first match of the eighth finals of the Champions League. With a resounding 4-1 victory, the team of Gian Piero Gasperini can hardly miss a spot in the quarterfinals of the European million-dollar ball, although it may be a small miracle that the team managed to hibernate in Europe at all. In the group stage of the Champions League, Atalanta was only a meager point after four rounds of play, and suffered a major loss at Dinamo Zagreb (4-0) and Manchester City (5-1). Such defeats would of course mean elimination on Tuesday night at the Mestalla.
Nevertheless, Atalanta has been in top form in recent weeks. With five victories and a draw, the Northern Italians are already undefeated for six official duels in a row, in which they were astonishing 24 (!) Times. In addition, Gasperini has a top fit selection, because the corona virus did not require Atalanta to take action last weekend.
