Atalanta vs Hapoel Tel Aviv: Sarri Prepares for Tough Match

Maurizio Sarri is braced for “a difficult match” and a long night as Atalanta try to finally settle their Conference League play-off against Hapoel Tel Aviv on Thursday.

The tie is still on a knife-edge after a goalless first leg at the New Balance Arena, and Sarri made it clear there is no room for comfort or assumptions.

“We saw in the first leg it’ll be a difficult match, but we have to be convinced we can do it,” he told Sky Sport Italia, via TuttoMercatoWeb. “Clearly without becoming presumptuous. We want to play in a European competition. It’ll be tough against a team in great physical condition.”

De Ketelaere back, but only in doses

There is at least one piece of good news: Charles De Ketelaere is available again. How much he can actually contribute is another story.

“He’s trained very little after the small adductor problem,” Sarri admitted. “He did half an hour in the league, his usage will have to be partial. I don’t know whether to start him or bring him on, also because we don’t know how long the match will last.”

That uncertainty hangs over the rest of the attack too. The centre-forward role is still up for grabs, with Gianluca Scamacca and Nikola Krstovic pushing each other hard.

“I haven’t decided yet,” Sarri said. “They’re doing well and both seem to be improving. Over the season they’ll alternate based on who is in better shape, then we’ll also play them together.”

The message is clear: nobody owns the shirt yet.

Hapoel’s threat and a neutral stage

Hapoel Tel Aviv arrive with momentum and a clear identity. Elyaniv Barda’s side have already knocked out Ludogorets and GKS Katowice to reach this point, and they have no intention of opening up just because the stakes have risen.

“They gather well and then break well,” Sarri observed. “I don’t think they’ll change their attitude much, we’ll see.”

There is also the unusual backdrop. The return leg will not be played in Israel but at a neutral venue in Hungary, stripping Hapoel of true home advantage but also removing some of the usual emotional cues for the visitors.

On paper, that should favour Atalanta. On the pitch, it simply adds another layer of unpredictability.

Defence still learning Sarri’s script

If Atalanta are to avoid a nervous, open contest, Sarri knows his back line must grow into his ideas far more quickly.

“It’s still lacking, there’s no point saying otherwise today,” he said of the defenders’ understanding of his methods. “The most difficult moment will be when they think they know how to do certain things and instead they still aren’t able to.”

That is the tightrope his team walks into this second leg: belief without arrogance, intensity without panic, structure without overconfidence.

One game, at a neutral ground, to decide whether Atalanta’s season carries the extra weight – and opportunity – of European football.