Atalanta defender Davide Zappacosta spoke with Corriere dello Sport, via TuttomercatoWeb, about the Nerazzurri and their chances of qualifying for Europe next season. Gian Piero Gasperini’s men currently sit in sixth place in Serie A and got back to winning ways in their last match before the international break, defeating Empoli 2-1 in Bergamo thanks to a late winner from Danish starlet Rasmus Højlund. The victory was their first in four matches, having picked up just a single point in that run. However, Zappacosta believes that the comeback victory against Empoli could help towards their European aspirations and believes that the win proves that they are there ‘both mentally and physically.’ Atalanta will travel to Cremona to face bottom-of-the-league Cremonese when Serie A action returns at the beginning of April and will be looking towards the likes of Højlund to continue in his fine run of form if they are to make it to Europe. The 20-year-old scored a hat-trick for Denmark against Finland in the opening fixture of their Euro 2024 qualifiers.
On Atalanta’s European ambitions:
“I feel at home here. Europe? Atalanta won’t give up. The table is short, but we always try not to look at it, the championship is still long. Certainly the comeback win against Empoli made us understand that we’re there both mentally and physically.”
On his experience in Bergamo:
“I have always felt at home in Bergamo, it is a city that welcomed me at a particular time in my life.”