Atalanta's Gasperini upbeat despite impending playoff

Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini lauded his team's Champions League performances on Wednesday despite narrowly missing out on an automatic place in the last 16 after a 2-2 draw at Barcelona on Wednesday.

The final league phase fixture saw Europa League champions Atalanta slip to ninth in the standings, with the top eight qualifying directly, and they will go into the two-legged knockout phase playoff round.

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"We are Atalanta, we have to be happy to play in the Champions League, to compete with the best European teams," Gasperini told the reporters.

"For us it is all a great experience, hearing (the fans) sing in these stadiums... Those who think differently (must be) frustrated."

Atalanta were seventh after beating Austrian side Sturm Graz 5-0 and a win at five-time European champions Barcelona would have seen them avoid the playoffs.

They will now, however, face Belgian champions Club Brugge or Portugal's Sporting Lisbon for a spot in the knockout rounds.

Asked whether he felt satisfied or regretted not finishing in the top eight, Gasperini said his feelings were all positive.

"It's the first one all the way," he said. "We are in the Champions League. We will next play and see what happens against Sporting or Brugge, it's not like we're used to it.

"We played in the Champions League for four years, this type of match really enhances the team."

Atalanta advanced to the quarterfinals on their competition debut in 2019-20, before reaching last 16 the following year and being eliminated at group stage in 2021-22.