In the 2017–18 season, Atalanta finished in seventh place with 60 points and thus gained entry to the third qualifying round of the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League. This result was achieved in spite of a double commitment—which some pundits believed would cause the club to struggle—and a tough start to the season in the league (9 points in 7 matches). In the Europa League, the club was drawn into Group E with French club Lyon, English club Everton, and Cypriot club Apollon Limassol, where it defeated Everton home and away and topped the group with 14 points. The club then advanced to the round of 32, where it was eliminated 4–3 on aggregate by German club Borussia Dortmund (3–2 away, 1–1 at home). During this season, Atalanta also reached the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia for the first time since 1996, though was narrowly defeated by Juventus, losing both legs 1–0. In the league, Atalanta slowly climbed to seventh place—arriving there with a win over Udinese on 31 March— and held on for the remainder of the season to ensure qualification.