Atalanta Awaits Hapoel Tel Aviv in Conference League Playoff Clash

Hapoel Tel Aviv secured a 3-2 aggregate victory over Poland's Katowice on August 12, 2026, advancing to the playoff round of the UEFA Conference League. Despite losing 2-1 in the second leg played in Hungary, Hapoel's earlier 2-0 win ensured their progression to face a formidable opponent, Atalanta from Italy.

Atalanta, the reigning UEFA Europa League champions after their 3-0 final win over Bayer Leverkusen in the 2023/24 season, represent a significant challenge for Hapoel. The Italian club also holds one Coppa Italia title from the 1962/63 season. Notably, Atalanta previously eliminated an Israeli team, Hapoel Haifa, from the Europa League qualifiers eight years ago with a 6-1 aggregate score.

In the 2025/26 Serie A season, Atalanta finished seventh with 59 points, trailing champions Inter Milan by 28 points. In the Champions League, they reached the round of 16 but were eliminated by Bayern Munich with a heavy 10-2 aggregate defeat. Their squad features notable players such as Belgian international striker Charles De Ketelaere, Italian forward Gianluca Scamacca, experienced midfielder Marten De Roon, and promising young defender Giorgio Scalvini. Maurizio Sarri was recently appointed as the team's head coach.

The financial disparity between the clubs is stark: Atalanta's squad is valued at approximately 447 million euros, compared to Hapoel Tel Aviv's estimated 15 million euros. Midfielder Aderson, who remained with Atalanta despite interest from Manchester United, is the club's highest-valued player at 45 million euros, followed by Scalvini at 38 million euros. This transfer window, Atalanta has signed midfielder Gianluca Gaetano from Cagliari for 12 million euros and agreed to acquire defender Thomas Kristensen from Udinese for around 25 million euros.

Hapoel Tel Aviv now prepares for a challenging playoff tie against Atalanta, aiming to continue their European campaign against one of Italy's strongest teams.