Hapoel Tel Aviv Begins Conference League Third Qualifying Round Against Katowice in Hungary

Hapoel Tel Aviv kicked off their third qualifying round campaign in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday evening with a home match against Katowice, held in Miskolc, Hungary. This follows their impressive victory over Ludogorets in the previous round. The Israeli team announced they will remain in Hungary after the match until their flight to Poland on Monday, aiming to maximize rest and training time ahead of the second leg.

Coach Eliniv Breda made one change to the starting lineup, replacing Shanda Silva with Roy Alkukin. Emmanuel Boateng continued as the lead striker, supported by Omri Altman in midfield. New signing Daniel Owusu was not included in the squad but is expected to participate in the return fixture. Katowice, who finished fifth in the Polish league last season, come into the match after a 4-3 aggregate win over Slovak side Zilina in the previous qualifying round. Former Maccabi Petah Tikva player Ilia Shkorin is among their substitutes.

The match began promptly in Miskolc, with both teams aiming to gain an advantage ahead of the decisive second leg. If Hapoel Tel Aviv advances, they will face the formidable Atalanta in the playoff round. The lineups for the match were as follows: Hapoel Tel Aviv started with Asaf Tzur, Marcus Coco, Fernan Mayembo, Chico, Doron Leidner, Adrian Kravyev, Falcao, Satu Turiel, Roy Alkukin, Omri Altman, and Emmanuel Boateng. Katowice fielded Gabriel Kowaliak, Lukasz Klemanc, Arkadiusz Jendrych, Paw Resta, Eric Jilka, Bartosz Wolski, Kacper Lukasiak, Borja Galan, Aman Markovic, Bartosz Nowak, and Adam Zarlak.

The game commenced at the first minute in Miskolc, marking the start of Hapoel Tel Aviv's pursuit to continue their European journey this season.