ADEMOLA Lookman has said that he and his Atalanta teammates are looking forward to playing Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup tonight.
The Super Eagles forward scored a historic hat-trick as Atalanta thrashed Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 to win last season’s UEFA Europa League trophy and he believes the Serie A side are out to prove in Warsaw, Poland tonight that they ‘deserve to be here’.
With Gianluca Scamacca, Giorgio Scalvini and Nicolò Zaniolo injured, and Teun Koopmeiners left out over his transfer request to Juventus, the Nigeria international could take centre stage again.
“I think this is a different occasion. Playing in the Super Cup is different. So, I’m excited, happy to be involved, and looking forward to it,” he said in his press conference.
“It’s not just me, but I think the whole squad is excited about the occasion. We deserve to be here through our hard work and perseverance. This is another chance to show that.”
Atalanta were the underdogs against Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final and UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid are big favourites tonight, but Lookman is not ruling out his side.
“It’s a top team of top players, who are ready at any moment. I don’t think there’s any good time to face Real Madrid. Obviously, they have their powers, but we also have quality,” he said.
Real Madrid are expected to give new signings Kylian Mbappé and Endrick their debuts, further strengthening the squad that lifted the UEFA Champions League a couple of months ago.
