Manchester United are back in Champions League action on Wednesday and have the chance to claim a statement victory in their group. Following the surprising defeat at Young Boys last month, victory over Villarreal earned Ole Gunnar Solskjaer their first points of the campaign.
Only Atalanta have more points than United in the group so far and victory over the Bergamo club would likely see them go top of their group, a huge step towards qualification to the next round after last season’s disappointing exit.
Amad Diallo is one Manchester United player who will know all about the Italian outfit, having signed for the Old Trafford club from Atalanta in 2020.
The young Ivorian only made a few senior appearances for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side but has warned his teammates to not underestimate his former side.
“First of all, we must not underestimate Atalanta,” Amad is quoted as saying by the official Manchester United website. “If you underestimate Atalanta, you are making a huge mistake.
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“They have got a great coach, a great team and they have got good fans. They press high, they don’t let you play and they put you in difficulty.
“The wingers, [Robin] Gosens and [Ruslan] Malinovsky, are strengths of theirs, they will give you a difficult game. Even when they don’t have the ball, they will run a lot, especially those two. If you lose the ball, then you’re in trouble because they run so much and they’ll get it.”
Manchester United were handed a boost ahead of the game as Atalanta captain Rafael Toloi was ruled out of the encounter with an abductor injury, whilst star defenders Berat Djimsiti and Robin Gosens will also miss the game.
