Football: Atalanta coach Gasperini praises City counterpart Guardiola

Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola has received praise from Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini. The Italian side is in England as they are set to take on City in the UEFA Champions League group stage match. The 61-year-old feels he owes the former Barcelona manager a debt of gratitude for the kindness he showed him after being sacked by Inter Milan back in 2011.

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Guardiola's support after Gasperini's Inter Milan sacking

Gasperini lasted just five games in charge at the San Siro in 2011. Guardiola called him and invited him to visit Barcelona. Gasperini feels that it was a very nice gesture from a human point of view at a very difficult moment. Since then, he rebuilt his career by guiding Atalanta to the Champions League for the first time, a feat Guardiola has described as incredible. City counterpart Pep Guardiola also compared Gasperini to Juventus boss Maurizio Sarri and expressed the opinion that Atalanta is a joy to watch.

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Atalanta finished third in the last season of the Serie A and also reached the final of the Coppa Italia. They are again third on the Serie A table after a bright start to the current campaign. However, they are still to register a point in the Champions League after defeats to Dinamo Zagreb and Shakhtar Donetsk. Atalanta are placed fourth on the Champions League table.

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Atalanta play against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on Wednesday, October 23, 2019 at 12.30 am (IST). City have defeated Dinamo Zagreb and Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League this season and are placed first in Group C.

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