Gian Piero Gasperini warns Lazio are “legitimate contenders for a Champions League spot,” but Atalanta can still beat them tomorrow.
The Aquile and La Dea go head to head in Bergamo on Monday evening, at 19:30 GMT.
The Biancocelesti drew all four of their last games in Serie A, so this may be an opportunity for Gasperini's men to reduce the four-point gap between the two teams.
Gian Piero Gasperini warns Lazio are “legitimate contenders for a Champions League spot,” but Atalanta can still beat them tomorrow.
The Aquile and La Dea go head to head in Bergamo on Monday evening, at 19:30 GMT.
The Biancocelesti drew all four of their last games in Serie A, so this may be an opportunity for Gasperini's men to reduce the four-point gap between the two teams.
"Lazio's level makes them a legitimate contender for a Champions League spot," said Gasperini in today's Press conference. "I'm expecting a hard-fought and challenging game.
"Winning matches like these boosts self-esteem. [Coach Simone] Inzaghi's team is strong and they certainly don't look like they're in any sorts of crisis to me. After all, they just qualified for the Round of the Last Sixteen in the Europa League and they are fifth in Serie A.
"Some of their recent results may have been a bit disappointing, but that doesn't mean anything. It's a team that has everything it takes to trouble us, although we have resources of our own as well."
Atalanta are currently tenth, but fifth-placed Lazio do not look out of reach, as a win by the hosts would take them to only one point from Simone Inzaghi's men.
"The standings are very narrow right now. At the end of the first half of the championship we'll draw our conclusions. We have to try and replicate our best performances against the big teams, showing all of our qualities."
Inzaghi had some very kind words for Gasperini in the Lazio Press conference, calling him the best Coach in Italy alongside Allegri, and the 60-year-old returned the favour.
"Inzaghi did some extraordinary things over the last three years, making sure his Lazio side was always competitive. At the end of the last season he was very unlucky [in the final game against Inter], as he deserved to qualify for the Champions League.
"As for their players, Ciro [Immobile] is the best Italian striker and they can always count on him. [Sergej] Milinkovic-Savic is underperforming? Well, I hope he keeps that up on Monday! But in all seriousness, he looks like a powerful and decisive player to me."