Josip Ilicic’s recent absence is starting to become a concern for Serie A side Atalanta. The forward missed the last four games due to fitness issues and since the restart in June, he has not scored or assisted in any of his league appearances.
Atalanta has already clinched a spot in next season’s UEFA Champions League, so the club is only focusing on its final standing in the league. However, Atalanta does have a pivotal Champions League knockout stage bout against PSG in a couple of weeks. Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini recently spoke (via RMC Sport) about Ilicic’s current fitness level and uncertainty on when the club will see him again this season.
“Josip will have time to recover, but he’s not in good shape and needs to recover,” Gasperini said. “I don’t know how long he will have to be off the pitch, we’ll see that.”
Ilicic has contributed over 25 goal contributions in all competitions this season for the club, including five against Valencia in the Champions League Round of 16 stage. Alongside Alejandro Gomez, the two are essentially the nucleus of the team’s high-octane attack.
No projection has been provided over when Ilicic will be back in action, but the club sure does hope that he will be fit and ready to go for the PSG duel.
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