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Pre-Celtic headache for Atalanta despite Venezia win

Atalanta's Mateo Retegui celebrates
Mateo Retegui has scored eight goals in eight Serie A outings this season [Getty Images]

Atalanta warmed up for Wednesday's Champions League visit by Celtic with a 2-0 victory away to Venezia despite head coach Gian Piero Gasperini facing mounting personnel problems.

Sead Kolasinac joined five other key absentees, with the Bosnia & Herzegovina international suffering from flu in the only change from the side that thumped Genoa 5-1, while fellow centre-half and Sweden international Isak Hien came off at half-time on Sunday feeling ill.

Ademola Lookman was also withdrawn at the break with the Nigeria striker feeling the effects of travel delays while facing Libya with his national team.

If that was not enough, Gasperini revealed that Brazil midfielder Ederson had played through the pain of toothache before being withdrawn with 15 minutes left.

Atalanta went into the game without Ivory Coast full-back Odilon Kossounou, former West Ham United striker Gianluca Scamacca and three other Italy internationals - club captain Rafael Toloi, fellow centre-back Giorgio Scalvini and on-loan Frosinone midfielder Marco Brescianini.

It did not prevent the Bergamo side recording their third straight victory to go four games without defeat since losing at home to Como and sit in sixth place in Serie A, six points behind leaders Napoli.

German midfielder Mario Pasalic opened the scoring after seven minutes, with Argentina forward Mateo Retegui adding the second two minutes into the second half.

The latter, their summer signing from Genoa, is the man of the moment having scored eight times in 11 outings this season - all eight coming in Serie A.

Meanwhile, Gasperini insisted he would not be underestimating Celtic despite the Scottish champions' 5-1 hammering by Borussia Dortmund in their previous Champions League game, pointing out that "we're facing a team used to winning championships, a fast team, especially in attack".