Young Boys has a meeting with “dentist” Gian Piero Gasperini in the Champions League

Published on November 25, 2024 at 9:22 p.m. / Modified on November 25, 2024 at 9:24 p.m.

It’s a famous statement. Pep Guardiola once compared facing a Gian Piero Gasperini side to ‘going to the dentist’. For the Spanish coach, it didn’t go that bad: during the group stage of the 2019-2020 Champions League, Manchester City won 5-1 and conceded a 1-1 draw against Atalanta Bergamo. But everyone understood the idea: no matter the end result, there is the promise of a bad time to go through. The Lombard team, which Gasperini has led since July 1, 2016, runs a lot, presses very high and attacks in all directions. Enough to “annoy any opponent”, he once explained to Guardianbefore saluting the spirit of Guardiola: “I find that this metaphor of the dentist is perfect.”

Tuesday at 9 p.m., it will be the turn of the Swiss champions to open their mouths wide. Still looking for their first success in the Champions League, the Young Boys of interim coach Joël Magnin receive the fourth in the last Serie A championship at Wankdorf for the fifth of their eight first round matches, and clearly not the most easy. After victories against Shakhtar Donetsk and VfB Stuttgart, as well as draws against Arsenal and Celtic Glasgow, ninth-placed Atalanta remains a serious contender for one of the first eight places directly qualifying for the round of 16 of the competition.

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