In the year 452, Attila, the most ruthless king of the Huns, who put the Roman Empire on the ropes in the middle of the 5th century, took Bergomum, a municipality located in the northeast of Italy, very close to the Alpine border. with Switzerland, where if they don’t manufacture the cold, they will be close. But it was not only Attila who took over this small city where today 120,000 inhabitants live together. Napoleon also occupied it in the 19th century and placed it under Austrian command, until in 1859 General Garibaldi, one of the leaders of Italian reunification, managed to reconquer it. Here, between Alpine hills, Venetian walls, cobblestone lands and freezing temperatures, Madrid plays out many of its chances tonight of getting into the Champions League. Complicated match for Ancelotti’s men, not only because of the context of the classification, which places him right now in 24th place in this previous league, the limit to access the ‘play in’ that gives access to the second round, but because of the rival he will have in front of him. Gasperini’s Atalanta is the current leader of Serie A and third in the Champions League, it has not known what it is to lose since September 24, it has accumulated nine consecutive victories, and Retegui and Lookman, with 14 and 10 goals, respectively, are at its peak. This Atalanta has nothing to do with the poorly-rounded team full of casualties that lost the European Super Cup without putting up a fight against the whites, four months ago in Warsaw: «It’s going to be a very demanding match. They are doing very well, they have improved a lot since the Super Cup, they have dynamism, enthusiasm, they have won many games and compete very well. Related News champions | real madrid – atalanta standard Yes Valverde, the ‘8’ who doesn’t want to “screw” Kroos anymore Rubén Cañizares The Uruguayan, who has played 76 of the last 77 games in the Madrid shirt, reveals that he has not spoken to Toni since his departure from the club last summer: “Now it’s my turn” Madrid arrives at this sixth matchday with a panorama never seen before in its continental participation. The white team had never lost three consecutive games in the Champions League, a situation that in the old format would have practically eliminated them. This is not the case with the minileague system implemented this season, but it no longer has much of a cushion. According to UEFA estimates, 8 or 9 points is enough to get into the 24 places. It is the minimum that Madrid is already opting for, since it is impossible to qualify among the top eight that avoids the crossing prior to the round of 16: “It’s screwed to see us on the 24th. We are not used to going through these moments, but it is also part of football », reflects Valverde. For the battle of Bergamo, Ancelotti recovers Vinicius, in the infirmary for the last fifteen days, after being injured against Leganés, and Rodrygo, who returned from his injury to play last week against Getafe and Athletic, but was not in Girona as a precaution. The same that Ancelotti should have with Bellingham, who left Montilivi with an overload and, although he will start at the Gewiss Stadium, the record of the white infirmary so far this season invites us to be extremely cautious: «He is fully recovered. My only two doubts are Vinicius and Rodrygo. We will make the decision about them based on the feelings they have in training. “It is true that if Madrid were to hit it again today, they would still have the final two days of January, against Salzburg at the Bernabéu and against Brest in France, to solve their pass, but obviously it would not be the most appropriate way to access the playoffs. The important thing is to pass, without a doubt, but how, in the case of Real Madrid, is also relevant. There is a sporting prestige to maintain. And some accounts that, at the moment, in the Champions League are below expectations. Madrid’s income so far in the competition is far from what was expected. At this point, he has only added 4.2 million for the two victories against Stuttgart and Borussia, and has left out of his coffers the 6.3 million he has lost in the defeats against Lille, Milan and Liverpool. Furthermore, not getting into the top eight not only frees you from a tie, with the consequent gain in terms of rest, but also means 11 million that Madrid can no longer qualify for. He will only receive one ‘kilo’ for the round of 32 and, if he does not get between 9th and 16th place, he will also be left without another million that is awarded in this qualifying ladder. Inappropriate numbers for Madrid in the Champions League, but solvable in the medium term. To do this, he must begin to mend his ways today in Bergamo, where Attila and Napoleon already showed him the way to conquer one of the most elegant and historic cities in the Italian country.
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