Atalanta forward and 2024 Ballon d’Or nominee, Ademola Lookman, is looking forward to a new challenge as the Europa League champions battle Arsenal in their first game of the remodified UEFA Champions League on Thursday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side will host the Gunners at the Gewiss Stadium on their return to the competition after a two-year absence.
Lookman and his teammates will head into the game on the back of a thrilling 3-2 win over Fiorentina in the Serie A, a game that saw the Nigerian score one goal and provide one assist on his first league appearance this season.
Ahead of the clash, the London-born player says they are ready to show why they deserve to compete.
“We’re very pleased to be in the Champions League this season. We deserved that and have to demonstrate it. We want to show the same drive and mentality that we had today to come back from behind,” he told DAZN.
“Arsenal are a very strong team, and I know what to expect from them. Playing against a team of that level is always a difficult challenge, but we are ready.
“We earned this place in the Champions League thanks to our great last season, and we want to show that we deserve to be here.”
Atalanta’s best finish in Europe’s top club competition was the quarterfinals in 2020, but they have to navigate a different route to make it that far or beyond following the change of format.
In the new format, the 36 teams form a single league, with each entrant playing eight different clubs, four at home and four away.
The top eight sides in the league will qualify automatically for the knockout stages, while the teams finishing in ninth to 24th place will compete in a two-legged play-off to secure a place in the last 16 of the competition.
The bottom 12 teams will be eliminated with no access to the Europa League.
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