Newcastle United step up their preparations for the new season up a level with a friendly against Italian side Atalanta at St. James’ Park tonight. The Magpies’ match with Atalanta is the first of two in as many days as they host Athletic Bilbao less than 24 hours later as several members of the squad look set for a 90-minutes run out this weekend.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side will provide Newcastle with another difficult test following the 3-2 defeat at Benfica on Tuesday. It is the second time in succession they will be going up against a team from last season’s Champions League.
Ahead of Friday’s clash, here is the lowdown on all you need to know about the Italian side.
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How last season went
With an eighth-place finish last term, Atalanta secured their lowest league position since the 2015/16 season. Prior to that, they had secured three consecutive third place finishes but failed to sustain the levels they had set last season.
Atalanta have been renowned across Europe for their high-octane style under Gasperini, scoring 90 or more league goals in both the 2019/20 and 2020/21 season. However, there was a major drop off in that department last year as they netted just 65, which was the biggest factor in their fall to eighth place.
Summer transfers
Atalanta have brought in three new players so far this summer, though two of those were already on loan at the club last season. Jeremie Boga’s move from Sassuolo and Merih Demiral’s move from Juventus have both been converted into €20 million permanent deals.
The new face through the door is Brazilian midfielder Ederson, who arrived for around €19 million from Salernitana. Ederson only arrived at Salernitana in January earlier this year but impressed enough for Atalanta to fork out the big bucks on his signature.
Pre-season so far
Newcastle will certainly represent a step-up in opposition from who they have played in pre-season so far, with Atalanta hitting doubles figures in all of their opening three friendlies. First, they put 15 past fellow Italian side Rappresentativa Valseriana, before scoring 10 against Rappresentativa Valli Bergamsche.
Atalanta then defeated Swiss side Gambarogno-Contone 12-1 ahead of their most recent pre-season fixture against Como, whom they ran out 4-0 winners against. Incidentally, Como are the side Cesc Fabregas is reportedly set to join.
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