Ederson sends Celtic warning to Atalanta teammates

Celtic will be looking to bring their Champions League campaign back on track after suffering a 7-1 defeat at the hands of Borussia Dortmund on matchday 2. The Hoops were nowhere near the required level at Signal Iduna Park and put in a performance that can only be described as 'naive'. Their next opponents are Atalanta from the Italian Serie A.

Atalanta might not have a heavyweight name like AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus or Napoli, but they have been one of the most consistent teams in Italian football for many years now under the management of Gian Piero Gasperini. So, Celtic need to be at their best in midweek.

On the other hand, Atalanta might be making a mistake if they judge Celtic solely based on their performance against Borussia Dortmund. The Hoops are better than that, as they showed in their 5-1 win vs Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League opener.

Atalanta midfielder, Ederson, seems to be well aware of that. As reported by the Daily Record, he said:

"This is not an easy match for us. Celtic’s last defeat in the Champions League was like an accident. They are a good team and I’m convinced they’ll show a reaction in Italy. People who believe the Scots will be comfortable to play against are mistaken. I couldn’t believe an experienced goalkeeper like Kasper Schmeichel conceded seven goals.

''Obviously, there was a difference between the teams. But it was an excessive defeat for Celtic. We’ve watched them and they are a team who can cause their opponents many problems in attack."

Ederson sends Celtic warning to Atalanta teammates

It goes without saying that Atalanta will be heavy favourites going into this match. After how the Borussia Dortmund game turned out, Celtic fans will be careful about how high they set their expectations.

But then, perhaps that is a position that suits Celtic. Some of the club's best results in Europe over the years have come when much was not expected of them.

For them to have any chance of getting a win or even a draw, Celtic will need to adjust their strategy though. They cannot go into Champions League games against top-level opposition and play the way they did in Germany. That is a recipe for disaster and we have already seen plenty of evidence. So, hopefully, Brendan Rodgers will make the necessary adjustments.