DBasia.news – Atalanta manager, Gian Piero Gasperini, commented regarding the corona virus which has spread in several countries ahead of the Champions League match. Gian Gesperini also compared the impact of the corona virus in his country with Spain.
The second leg of the top 16 Champions League between Valencia and Atalanta will take place at the Estadio Mestalla, Wednesday (11/03) 3:00 AM. Atalanta brought a 4-1 aggregate advantage from the first leg at the San Siro.
Nevertheless, Gasperini did not want his players to be lulled by the results in the first leg to reduce their game.
“We will not be affected by the results of the first (leg) match. I believe that by not doing so, we can play the second leg in the best way,” Gasperini told Sky Sports.
“We know that Valencia are a very dangerous team and we want to face them like we know how.”
Gasperini also commented on the situation of the corona virus outbreak which has increasingly affected all sporting events in Italy – including Serie A – is discontinued. The 62-year-old coach sees Spain’s situation as in Italy a month ago.
“Being here (Spain) is like being at home a month ago. We arrived here safely. It’s very different here compared to Italy,” Gasperini added.
“We need to make a judgment in terms of health but also from a social perspective: playing behind closed doors (stadiums without spectators), like yesterday, even in a context that people don’t like, can make it comfortable for people who are at home. But the priority remains to the public health. “
There have been a total of 9,172 corona cases in Italy – including those who have recovered. Within 24 hours to this day (10/03) the rate of the corona virus has increased from 1,598 to 7,985 cases, with details: 97 people have died. A total of 463 people have died of corona in Italy and 733 people are still being treated intensively.
It is unfortunate if a match involving Italian teams in Europe is postponed due to the corona virus, moreover Atalanta are on the verge of history in qualifying for the top eight in their first participation in the Champions League this season.
“We focus on qualifying (for the top eight). It was clear that after the results of the first match, we had a lot of confidence that we could progress. “This will be an extraordinary achievement for the players, clubs and fans,” added Gasperini.
“We have faced this competition and want to make a good impression and to bring our fans across Europe with high enthusiasm.”
“We try to focus only on the match and the results tomorrow, we don’t want to think about what will happen afterwards,” Gasperini concluded.