The China Mail - 'Hurt' Atalanta try to bounce back from Bayern battering at Serie A leaders Inter

Italy's top division has a representative in Europe's elite club competition in name only after Atalanta were left battered and bruised by Bayern, defeated 6-1 and leaving a once powerful football nation again licking its wounds.

The message from the Gazzetta Dello Sport was a brutal as Bayern's dishcloth treatment of Atalanta: "this is who we are" said the famous pink paper, lamenting how Italy consistently fails to produce players like "the alien" France forward Michael Olise.

For Atalanta, a traditionally tiny club, exiting the Champions League in the last 16 is no disgrace, but the humiliating manner of Tuesday's drubbing left its mark ahead of a key clash at the San Siro.

"Either you win or you learn, and tonight we learned something from a brilliant team, one that will probably be in this competition right until the end," said Palladino.

"We can't let this result get us down... obviously the result hurts us because conceding six goals is upsetting and that makes tonight very difficult for us.

"But this is a team that has always bounced back from difficult situations, especially after defeats. What I told the team was to keep their heads up, rest, and get their heads right for the league."

Raffaele Palladino's team, missing key players Ederson and Charles De Ketelaere, are five points behind surprise top-four residents Como, another small club in Lombardy upsetting the apple cart.

Inter meanwhile have to shake off derby defeat to AC Milan -- at Lazio on Sunday night -- to make sure their seven-point cushion over their local rivals doesn't further shrink.

- Surprise package Como -

Como are fourth and on Sunday host wobbling Roma, with whom Cesc Fabregas' ambitious side are locked on 51 points with 10 matches remaining in the league campaign.

One point further back in sixth are Juventus, another club who flopped in the Champions League, who can go provisionally fourth with a win at Udinese on Saturday night.

Como have never played European football in their turbulent history, which until they were taken over by tobacco giants Djarum in 2019 featured more bankruptcies than on-field success.

But there is a real chance that Champions League football might be played at the tiny Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, in view of one of the world's most famous lakes, thanks to a flamboyant group of young players in last weekend's 2-1 win at Cagliari showed they can also battle when they have to.

"We didn't think that we would be in the fight at the start of the season... I think we've shown that this team is made of stern stuff," said Fabregas after last weekend's win.

Roma, like Inter, have struggled all season in big matches, and they risk again not making the Champions League after throwing away a two-goal lead against Juve and losing to Genoa -- managed by Daniele De Rossi no less -- in their last two matches.

Gian Piero Gasperini's team also have an Italian derby with Bologna in the Europa League either side of Sunday's fixture, which could be key to whether they reach the Champions League for the first time since 2018.

Fixtures (times GMT)

Friday

Torino v Parma (1945)

Saturday

Inter Milan v Atalanta (1400), Napoli v Lecce (1700), Udinese v Juventus (1945)

Sunday

Verona v Genoa (1130), Pisa v Cagliari, Sassuolo v Bologna (1400), Como v Roma (1700), Lazio v AC Milan (1945)

Monday

Cremonese v Fiorentina (1945)

J.Thompson--ThChM