Atalanta Face Hapoel Tel Aviv In Conference League Playoff Test
Atalanta host Hapoel Tel Aviv at New Balance Arena in the 2026-27 UEFA Conference League playoff round – preview, key players and what to expect.
Marco Ferraro
Updated on 20 August 2026
Atalanta v Hapoel Tel Aviv: Conference League Playoff Preview Atalanta welcome Hapoel Tel Aviv to New Balance Arena in Bergamo on Thursday 20 August, with kick-off set for 7:30pm UK time, as the two sides meet in the first leg of the Conference League playoff round.
It’s a night with real significance beyond the scoreline. This marks Maurizio Sarri’s competitive debut in the Atalanta dugout, and the club’s first game of a new European campaign. A place in this season’s league phase is on the line, with the return leg to follow a week later at a neutral venue in Hungary.
Atalanta v Hapoel Tel Aviv Match Details And Kick-Off Time
Competition: UEFA Conference League 2026-27, playoff round, first leg. Date: Thursday 20 August 2026. Kick-off: 7:30pm UK time. Venue: New Balance Arena, Bergamo.
The second leg follows on Thursday 27 August at the DVTK Stadium in Miskolc, Hungary, a neutral venue for what would otherwise be a home game for the Israeli side.
Sarri Makes His Atalanta Bench Debut Against Hapoel
Thursday’s tie doubles as Sarri’s first competitive match in charge of Atalanta, adding extra weight to what’s already a high-stakes European night.
Reports suggest Sarri will set up in a 4-3-3, a shift for a squad more associated in recent seasons with variations of a back three.
The expected XI features Carnesecchi in goal, with Bellanova, Kossounou, Scalvini and Bernasconi across the back four.
Ederson, Gaetano and either Samardzic or Pasalic are set to make up the midfield, with Zalewski, Raspadori and either Scamacca or Krstović forming the front three.
Domestic business follows quickly regardless of the result here, with Atalanta hosting Sassuolo in their Serie A opener just three days later.
Atalanta’s Continental Pedigree Heading Into The Playoff
Atalanta enter this playoff round having come through the qualifying rounds, a route reflecting where the Bergamo club were seeded for this season’s competition.
There’s genuine continental pedigree behind the name. Atalanta lifted the 2023-24 UEFA Europa League, beating Bayer Leverkusen in the final, and were runners-up in the 2024-25 UEFA Super Cup, losing that final to Real Madrid.
Domestically, they’ve twice been beaten Coppa Italia finalists in the last decade or so, losing to Juventus in 2023-24 and again in 2020-21, and to Lazio in 2018-19.
Their most recent European campaign, in the 2025-26 Champions League, ended at the round-of-16 stage with a 1-4 defeat to Bayern München in March.
That’s the level this squad has been tested at, even as they now navigate a Conference League playoff tie under a new manager.
Hapoel Tel Aviv’s Route To Bergamo
Hapoel Tel Aviv arrive under manager Elyaniv Barda after an eventful run through the qualifying rounds.
They beat Bulgarian side Ludogorets 4-2 on aggregate, then edged past GKS Katowice of Poland 3-2 to book their place in this playoff tie.
Their away form in Europe this season is a genuine concern, though. They remain winless on the road in continental competition, having drawn in Bulgaria before losing in Poland.
Expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1, Hapoel’s threat is likely to run through forward Stav Toriel, who scored 12 goals and added 6 assists last season and sits just behind a front line built around Boateng as the central striker.
Atalanta Players To Watch: Scamacca, Krstović, De Ketelaere, Raspadori
Gianluca Scamacca scored 10 goals and added 1 assist in 24 Serie A appearances for Atalanta in 2025-26, the club’s most productive forward by output.
Nikola Krstović also reached 10 goals, with 5 assists, in 33 Serie A appearances in 2025-26, having joined Atalanta from Lecce in August 2025.
Charles De Ketelaere contributed 3 goals and 5 assists in 31 Serie A appearances in 2025-26, a regular creative presence through midfield.
Giacomo Raspadori added 3 goals and 1 assist in 13 Serie A appearances for Atalanta in 2025-26 after arriving from Atletico Madrid in January.
Atalanta v Hapoel Tel Aviv Prediction And What To Expect
Atalanta arrive in this playoff round with a squad tested at the highest continental level in recent seasons, from Europa League glory in 2023-24 to a Champions League round-of-16 exit against Bayern München only months ago.
That kind of exposure ought to count for something against a Conference League playoff opponent, and with attacking options like Scamacca, Krstović, De Ketelaere and Raspadori all having produced regularly in Serie A last season, Atalanta should carry goal threat into the game.
Hapoel’s away struggles in Europe this season work in the hosts’ favour, even if Toriel gives the visitors a genuine individual threat to plan around.
The tie should be judged less on reputation and more on how Sarri’s side translate their domestic and European experience into control of the game on his first night in the dugout.
Marco Ferraro
Marco Ferro is an Italian sports journalist and lead writer for FootItalia, specializing in the intricate dynamics of Serie A and the Italian national team. Known for his tactical analysis and deep understanding of the peninsula's footballing culture, Ferro provides expert coverage of Italy's biggest clubs, from the tactical shifts at Juventus to the intense rivalries of the Derby d’Italia.
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