Athletic Club's Spy Operation: Sending Scouts to Track Atalanta's Every Move
Bilbao's coaching staff will be keeping a close eye on Atalanta's upcoming fixtures against Inter, Roma and Torino ahead of crucial Champions League clash.
Athletic Club Deploy Scouting Mission for Critical Champions League Showdown
With the festive break upon us, Athletic Club are already plotting their Champions League resurrection with a comprehensive scouting operation targeting their next European opponents.
Champions League Pressure Mounting
The Basque outfit find themselves in a proper pickle in Europe’s premier competition, having amassed just five points from their opening six matches. Their campaign has been a mixed bag so far:
- Victory against Qarabag
- Draws with Slavia Prague and PSG (the latter being the reigning champions)
- Three defeats leaving them needing a strong finish
With the new Champions League format, Athletic’s path forward is crystal clear - win their remaining two fixtures against Atalanta and Sporting CP to secure a playoff spot for the Round of 16.
Operation Bergamo
The lads from San Mamés aren’t leaving anything to chance for their trip to Bergamo. Athletic’s technical team are set to become Atalanta’s shadows in the coming weeks, with scouts dispatched to monitor the Italians’ upcoming fixtures:
- December 28: Atalanta vs Inter Milan (a proper London derby of Italian football)
- Subsequent home matches against Roma and Torino at the Gewiss Stadium
The Bilbao backroom staff already have several detailed reports on Raffaele Palladino’s side, who sit comfortably in the top eight of the Champions League table with 13 points - enough for direct qualification to the Round of 16.
Fixture Advantage?
Interestingly, the Italian league has already confirmed that Atalanta’s domestic fixture against Pisa, originally scheduled just before the Athletic clash on January 21, will be moved forward to Friday, January 16. This gives the Bergamo boys extra recovery and preparation time.
Meanwhile, Athletic face a more congested schedule, with a La Liga match against Mallorca the day after Atalanta play Pisa, plus a Copa del Rey Round of 16 tie in the same week.
Ernesto Valverde’s men will resume their campaign on the first Saturday of January against Osasuna, before diving into a jam-packed month mixing league action, Supercopa, Copa del Rey and that all-important Champions League battle.
For Athletic, January will be no time for a cup of Rosie Lee - it’s straight back to business with European survival on the line.