Palladino not making calculations as Atalanta hunt Champions League progression

Raffaele Palladino is unsure whether one more victory will be enough for Atalanta to secure a top-eight finish in the Champions League, ahead of hosting Athletic Club on Wednesday.

Atalanta have taken 13 points from six games in Europe’s premier club competition this season, having gone unbeaten in five matches (W4 D1) following a 4-0 loss to holders Paris Saint-Germain on matchday one.

La Dea have, of course, changed coaches during that time, with Palladino taking the reins after Ivan Juric was sacked in November.

Palladino’s first two European matches at the helm resulted in eye-catching victories over Eintracht Frankfurt (3-0) and Chelsea (2-1), and his team have won five of seven games in all competitions since beating the Blues (one draw, one loss).

“We’ll start again with the spirit that we’ve had over the last two months,” Palladino said at Tuesday’s pre-match press conference.

“The Champions League gives you a big competitive charge, but that should also be the case in the league.

“We have a great opportunity to do well tomorrow. We’ve had five victories since the Chelsea game and that shows that the team is growing game by game.”

Matchday -1 #AtalantaAthletic #UCL #GoAtalantaGo pic.twitter.com/aAFUYieAOW

— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) January 20, 2026

Last season, Atalanta missed out on a top-eight finish with 15 points – every team that picked up at least 16 progressed automatically to the round of 16.

Asked if 16 points would be enough this time around, the former Monza and Fiorentina boss said: “The new format is very compelling.

“However, we don’t make calculations. We think game by game. We want to make history.

“We’re facing a well-prepared and very strong team. They might have a few absences and a few poor results over the last few weeks, but it can all be turned around in the Champions League.

“We will have to put in a great performance, and the difference will be in the details.”

After Tuesday’s results, a win could take Atalanta as high as second place, albeit even that would not necessarily guarantee them a place in the last 16 ahead of the final matchday.