Striker Ademola Lookman is expected to be in the thick of action tonight when Atalanta face off away to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.
The Nigeria international who scored a remarkable hat trick to land Atalanta their first continental silverware in last season’s Europa League Final against Bayer Leverkusen, is one of the experienced players in coach Gian Piero Gasperini’s squad for the encounter.
Gasperini has taken six Atalanta academy graduates with him for this evening’s away match as he will have to do without the injured Matteo Ruggeri while Marco Brescianini dropped out.
There is an academy representative in every position of Atalanta’s confirmed squad, as Goalkeeper Francesco Rossi, who has been on the club’s books since 2003, is named among the goalkeepers.
The five other academy graduates are still eligible to represent the U23 squad. Defenders Pietro Comi, Tommaso Del Lungo and Marco Palestra are included, as is 19-year-old midfielder Alberto Manzioni, plus centre-forward Vanja Vlahovic, who earned his senior debut as a substitute against Como last Tuesday.
Gasperini’s list of injuries still includes Gianluca Scamacca and Giorgio Scalvini, both out with cruciate ligament injuries, plus the aforementioned Ruggeri, who also misses out with a knee issue.
Brescianini has also not made the cut, but otherwise, all of Atalanta’s available senior players have been included.
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Goalkeepers: Carnesecchi, Rui Patricio, Rossi.
Defenders: Bellanova, Cuadrado, Kossounou, Godfrey, Djimsiti, Kolasinac, Zappacosta, Palestra, Comi, Del Lungo.
Midfielders: Pasalic, Ederson, De Roon, Samardzic, Manzioni.
Forwards: Retegui, Lookman, De Ketelaere, Zaniolo, Vlahovic
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