Cristiano Piccini knows Atalanta better than most, and although he will not be able to participate in Wednesday night’s game at San Siro, he will be cheering on Valencia CF as he continues his recovery from injury back in Spain.

“Atalanta are a side that have been playing at a high level for several years now. This year the Italian league is at a very high level. They are a very physically strong side, who run a lot and always go forward. They also have some players with very good technique. However, I think that if we are in good form, as we have been many times during this year, then we can beat them,” he told VCF Media this week.

Whilst Piccini will miss the trip to his native Italy, his recovery process is progressing well and he expects to return to full training over the coming weeks.

“My recovery is going very well and I'm very happy with the steps that I'm taking with the process. I think that it will be very little time before I'm back training at maximum intensity with the team -and back playing."

“I've had some tough moments, especially at the start. There has been pain that is both physical and mental. However, I'm an extremely positive person and during this injury I've been very clear that when I return I will enjoy myself even more.”