Atalanta suffer Lookman blow: Super Eagles star ruled out of Cagliari clash

Atalanta BC will be without their star forward Ademola Lookman for their Serie A match against Cagliari on Saturday, February 15.

The news comes as a blow for the Europa League winners, who are looking to bounce back from their recent Champions League playoff defeat.

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La Dea suffered a setback in midweek, losing 2-1 to Club Brugge in the first leg of their Champions League playoff tie.

The team is now focused on returning to winning ways in Serie A before the crucial second leg next week.

After missing the Champions League game against Brugge, Lookman has once again been excluded from the squad to face Cagliari.

The club released their squad list for the game on Saturday, confirming the absence of the reigning African Footballer of the Year due to ongoing fitness issues.

Lookman has been sidelined since sustaining a knee injury during training ahead of the Champions League clash against Barcelona.

He aggravated a bruise initially suffered in the match against Como in January. As a result, the 27-year-old has missed the club’s last five matches.

Since Lookman's injury, Atalanta have struggled, winning just one of their matches in that period.

His absence reduces their attacking firepower. The team will be hoping to turn things around against Cagliari, although they have shown resilience in coping without key players in the past.

While it was initially hoped that Lookman would return before the end of the month, his continued absence suggests that his recovery is taking longer than expected.

Although he has returned to light training, he was not fit enough to be included in the squad for the match against Club Brugge.

Assuming he does not suffer a relapse, the Nigeria international is expected to be named in the squad for the return leg of Atalanta's UEFA Champions League knockout phase playoff tie against Club Brugge.