Atalanta Players Woken Six Times By Alarms At Manchester Hotel Ahead Of Champions League Tie

Atalanta players and staff didn't manage to get much sleep on the eve of their crucial Champions League tie at Old Trafford tonight, after being kept awake by alarms in the early hours of the morning.

Their meeting with Manchester United is a crucial one, as both sides can head to the top of Group F with a win.

However, as one hotel guest claimed, it was a night of near-constant interruptions for the visitors.

They claim the alarm was set off at 4:51am, 5:00am, 5:36am, 6:11am, 6:31am and 7:13am, meaning the players are likely to have had very little sleep since before 5am.

Hotel tricks by opposition fans are nothing new in football, as down the years we have seen plenty of underhanded attempts to put a travelling team off the night before a crucial match.

From incessantly calling player room numbers, to full-scale firework displays outside, some fans will do all they can to ensure the victory the following day.

Many people associated with Atalanta have already alleged that the alarms may have been set on intentionally last night.

One of the most vocal to speak out on social media was Ruslan Malinovskyi's girlfriend, Roksana.

She took to Instagram to say: "I don't think it was a casual incident. Do you think it's just a [coincidence]? I don't think so."

Manchester United travel to Bergamo next month for the return fixture away at Atalanta on the 2nd of November.

One thing Atalanta have over their opponents coming into tonight's game is form. While United were on the wrong end of a 4-2 defeat to Leicester City last weekend, the Serie A outfit travel to Old Trafford on the back of a fine 4-1 win over Empoli.