Atalanta’s crowded autumn has brought another interruption for Giacomo Raspadori, whose right hamstring problem will keep him out during a demanding spell in Serie A and the Conference League.
A familiar muscle issue returns
Medical tests on Saturday confirmed a low-grade strain to the biceps femoris in Raspadori’s right thigh. The forward has already begun his rehabilitation programme.
It is the same area that troubled the former Napoli player in September, when he was injured in Bursa during Italy’s Nations League match against Turkey. The recurrence arrives at an awkward point in Atalanta’s season, with Maurizio Sarri needing options across domestic and European commitments.
The club stated that examinations had identified “a low-grade strain of the right biceps femoris” and confirmed that the player had started his recovery process.
The Pafos night that changed the schedule
Raspadori suffered the setback on Thursday evening in Atalanta’s 3-1 Conference League victory over Pafos. He stepped up to take a penalty and scored to make it 2-0, but felt the muscle issue as he struck the ball and was forced to leave the pitch.
What had been a useful European evening for the Bergamo side therefore carried a costly consequence. Raspadori is expected to be unavailable for around 20 days, removing a forward option at a time when matches are arriving with little room for adjustment.
Matches Raspadori is set to miss
Atalanta expect him to miss at least five fixtures:
- Milan away at San Siro in Serie A;
- Frosinone at home in Serie A;
- Fiorentina away at the Franchi in the midweek league round;
- Parma in Bergamo in Serie A;
- Ajax away in Amsterdam next Thursday, one of the key Conference League group matches.
Targeting the Kairat Almaty match
The present recovery timetable points towards 5 November, when Atalanta are due to welcome Kairat Almaty in the Conference League. Until then, Sarri must navigate a sequence that includes Milan, Fiorentina and Ajax without a player who had just contributed decisively from the penalty spot before injury intervened.
