Atalanta Remains a Formidable Rival as Hapoel Tel Aviv Advances in Conference League

Hapoel Tel Aviv continued their impressive European campaign by advancing to the playoff round of the UEFA Conference League after defeating Katowice 2-1 on Wednesday. Their next challenge is the Italian powerhouse Atalanta, a team considered one of the favorites to win the competition. Atalanta finished seventh in Serie A last season, reached the Champions League round of 16, and the Italian Cup semifinals.

Maurizio Sarri, appointed about a month ago to restore Atalanta’s top-four ambitions, has overseen a quiet summer transfer window. The club has made only one signing so far, defensive midfielder Gianluca Gaetano from Cagliari for 12 million euros. Meanwhile, key players were sold, including right-back Marco Faraoni to Chelsea for 57 million euros and defender Marco Brescianni to Fiorentina for 10 million euros. Most of the core squad remains, with Sarri shifting the formation from three to four defenders.

Atalanta has played three preseason friendlies, winning against Aris Limassol and Schalke but losing to Feyenoord. The team will host Hapoel Tel Aviv at the New Balance Arena in Bergamo, which holds 23,439 spectators. The upcoming matches will test Hapoel’s ability to overcome a strong opponent as they aim to reach the group stage of the tournament.