Papu Gomez: Atalanta can beat Madrid. Man City target among ‘top 10’ in Europe | OneFootball

Former Atalanta star Papu Gomez is confident that La Dea can beat Real Madrid on Tuesday, relying on Brazilian midfielder Ederson, who is among the ‘top 10’ midfielders in Europe.

Atalanta have taken the top spot in Serie A following Napoli’s home loss against Lazio on Sunday.

They are also unbeaten in the Champions League and Gomez is confident the Nerazzurri can fight for every objective this season, including the Scudetto.

“The team is there and wants to fight for all targets,” he told Gazzetta.

Papu Gomez: Atalanta can beat Madrid. Man City target among ‘top 10’ in Europe

epa11677903 Atalanta’s Jose Ederson looks on during the UEFA Champions League soccer match between Atalanta BC and Celtic FC at the Bergamo Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, 23 October 2024. EPA-EFE/MICHELE MARAVIGLIA

“Of course, you need to see how far they’ll go in the Champions League and Coppa Italia and whether they burn too much energy.

“When I was there, we had 12-13 starters; today, they have at least 16. If one is missing, the replacement is always up to the task, and sometimes, he does even more.”

Central midfielders are playing a key role at the Gewiss Stadium, and the Brazilian Ederson has attracted interest from some of the best European clubs, including Manchester City.

The ex-Salernitana ace replaced Remo Freuler, a former teammate of Papu in Bergamo.

“Freuler is a top player, but Ederson is a fantastic player with less physicality and unique skill sets,” noted the Argentinean.

“He’s among the top 10 [midfielders] in Europe, fundamental to Atalanta today.”

Atalanta already held Arsenal to a 0-0 Champions League draw earlier this season and are currently in the top eight with 11 points in five matches.

Tomorrow, they host Real Madrid at the Gewiss Stadium.

“They can hurt anyone, not only Real Madrid. The Merengues are not at their best,” said Gomez.

“They have a few injuries or recently recovered players. They don’t seem too solid, and Spanish teams are not accustomed to playing man-on-man.

“It will be fundamental to be ready for long balls and vertical passes. Mbappé and Vinicius will hurt when they have space, as Leao did on Friday for Milan. It will be precious to rewatch the August Supercoppa clash. The coach will prepare the game starting from here.”

Source: Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper, December 9, 2024. Page 13.