Ruslan Malinovskyi’s wife has claimed that five fire alarms went off ahead of Atalanta's clash with Manchester United as a number of furious Raddison hotel guests launched complaints on social media.
United are due to welcome Atalanta to Old Trafford for a crucial Champions League encounter on Wednesday night, with only a single point currently separating the two sides in Group F.
Gian Piero Gasperini's side are top of the pool at the moment, but will be underdogs against the Red Devils, and their bid to stage an upset has allegedly been hampered by a disrupted night's sleep.
What's been said?
Malinovskyi’s wife Roksana has taken to Instagram to claim that Gian Piero Gasperini's squad were disturbed multiple times by a fire alarm at the hotel they were staying at in Manchester.
“The alarm went off five times, since the team arrived,” she wrote in a post on her story on the popular video and photo-sharing platform.
“It was at full power. Do you think it’s just an accident? I don’t think so. Such a warm welcome from local people is terrible.
"I hope our fans will support our players and, perhaps, the same thing will suddenly happen in a hotel in Italy.”
Guest complaints
Roksana Malinovskyi’s allegations have been backed up by regular guests that had also stayed at the Raddison on Tuesday night.
One customer tagged the hotel chain in a post on Twitter that reads: "When you stay in the same hotel as the Man Utd opposition the night before a big game, of course, you are rudely woken by 04:51, 05:00, 05:36 and 06:11 Fire Alarms!"
Another guest commented underneath: "We had exactly the same thing. Not impressed."
@RadissonHotels When you stay in the same hotel as the @ManUtd opposition the night before a big game of course you are rudely woken by 04:51, 05:00, 05:36 and 06:11 Fire Alarms! #ManUtd #Atalanta #UCL #isthisreally5star #furious
— Lorraine Duarte (@Mrs_Duarte) October 20, 2021
Gasperini expecting tough test against United
Atalanta should still be prepared for a difficult battle against United in spite of a potential lack of sleep, with Gasperini having already warned his players what to expect from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side.
“They have many players capable of scoring, they shoot well from distance and have physicality in aerial play," the Atalanta boss told Sky Italia ahead of the contest.
“In the offensive phase they play as a team, they have technique and many players who have the inspiration that can make the difference.
“We will have to be good at being able to play at our best. Atalanta will have to be good above all from a technical point of view.”
Further reading
- Did Man Utd make a huge mistake signing Ronaldo?
- Amad warns Man Utd not to make 'huge mistake'
- Man Utd 'babies' slammed after 'appalling' Leicester loss