Graeme Sharp is confident Everton can “hit the ground running” when they launch their Europa League group campaign here in Italy this evening.
The Blues will take on an Atalanta team who finished fourth in last season’s Serie A to end a near-27-year wait for European qualification.
And Sharp says a match on foreign soil against highly-motivated opposition provides the perfect environment for Ronald Koeman’s new-look Blues to forge bonds which will sustain them for years to come.
“You come under pressure in these types of games and really have to dig in,” Toffees legend Sharp told evertonfc.