By Monsurah Olatunji
Sturm Graz head coach, Jurgen Säumel, has praised Ademola Lookman ahead of his team’s UEFA Champions League clash with Atalanta.
The Austrian side will travel to the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo on Tuesday night for the crucial Matchday 7 fixture.
Lookman has been a key player for Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League this season, registering three goals and one assist in five appearances. Despite his team’s recent defeat, the 27-year-old was named Man of the Match in Atalanta’s loss to holders Real Madrid.
Speaking ahead of the game, Säumel highlighted the threat posed by the Nigerian forward, calling him “extremely versatile and dangerous.”
“He [Lookman] is extremely versatile and dangerous. Bergamo always brings out top players and can then keep them, like Lookman,” he told Kurier.
Atalanta currently sit 13th in the group with 11 points, and a win tonight will secure Gian Piero Gasperini’s side a spot in the knockout rounds.
Despite an impressive away record, which includes a resounding 6-1 victory at Young Boys, Atalanta has struggled at home in this season’s competition, failing to win a game at Bergamo.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
