Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini is furious losing Duvan Zapata for their Champions League clash with Manchester City.

Gasperini has labelled international friendlies "useless" and demanded a single international break after top scorer Zapata was ruled out against City with an abductor strain sustained with Colombia.

"'I reacted with an expletive," Gasperini told Corriere dello Sport, recalling the moment when he learned Zapata would be out for three weeks following Colombia's goalless draw with Chile in Alicante.

"It is useless to go around the world and play friendlies with no meaning. The players are subjected to a whirlwind tour of 12 to 13 days where there is nothing at stake. And then we complain that the number of injuries increases.

"The championship cannot be stopped three times in three months. At this point, it is better to concentrate the challenges of the national teams into a single break.

"Some matches are not watched by anyone - they are useless from both a technical-tactical point of view and an entertainment point of view."