Gian Piero Gasperini spoke at a press conference ahead of Atalanta’s away match against Spezia, the first fixture after the long break for the World Cup in Qatar. The 2022-2023 Serie A TIM matchday 16 fixture is scheduled for Wednesday 4 January at 14:30 CET at the Stadio Picco in La Spezia: “The break has been long; it’s normal that the schedule is busy and the fixtures are all close together. Playing the first game after a long time is a bit like being at beginning of the season. We are looking forward to restarting. The break has been unusual, even though it gave us the chance to train”.

The first opponents of 2023 are Spezia: “They are a good team, who have produced great performances. Spezia have their own identity and Gotti’s arrival has given them some extra courage. We’ll go there to deliver the right performance. There are no easy games, no easy trips. I think the league will be more balanced from now on”.