‘Would be something extraordinary’ – Atalanta coach dreams of beating Real Madrid in UEFA Super Cup | OneFootball

Atalanta defied all odds to defeat Bayer Leverkusen in the final of the UEFA Europa League, not more than a few weeks ago.

A week later, Real Madrid, too, defeated a German opponent in the UEFA Champions League. Their 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund sealed the club’s record 15th UCL title.

The win also helped Real Madrid book a place in next season’s UEFA Super Cup against Atalanta.

Gian Piero Gasperini on facing Real Madrid

In a recent interview, Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini was asked about facing Real Madrid in the European Super Cup.

Gasperini expressed that winning the Super Cup will be Atalanta’s next big goal, although he did admit Real Madrid will be a difficult opponent.

“The European Super Cup is our next dream,” said Gasperini (h/t Mundo Deportivo), who has been the coach of Atalanta for the past eight years.

When asked about facing Real Madrid in the final, the Italian added, “Since we had this opportunity, without taking anything away from Borussia Dortmund, the hope was to face Real Madrid for a matter of prestige.”

Atalanta are the Europa League champions (Photo by Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images)

“Real are the most famous team in the world. Going to compete with them for a Super Cup is something prestigious for Atalanta and for all of Bergamo,” he added.

As Gasperini continued to heap praise on the 15th-time European champion, he was also asked whether Atalanta have any chance of beating Real Madrid in the Super Cup.

The Italian admitted it will be a difficult task, though he did misplace his statistic when he mentioned “Real Madrid have not lost a European final since 1983.”

It must be noted that Real Madrid did lose a European final in 2018 when they succumbed to a 4-2 defeat at the hands of cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup.

Nevertheless, Gasperini admitted that beating Real Madrid would be a real achievement for Atalanta.

“It would be something extraordinary. Even Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen had not lost for a long time, perhaps due to the law of large numbers. For now, we will stick to this,” he concluded.