- Hapoel Tel-Aviv's last five results read: Won2, Drawn2, Lost1.
- Atalanta Bergamo's last five results read: Won3, Drawn1, Lost1.
- The first-leg scoreline was 0-0.
A cagey contest lies ahead in Hungary
The first meeting of this UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026 tie in Hungary was cagey, as neither side were able to get the ball into the back of the net.
They demonstrated that they can be stubborn opponents, but they didn't look clinical enough to take the lead and have won only two of their last five matches (W2, D2, L1).
Atalanta Bergamo have won three, drawn one and lost one of their last five, including a 0-0 draw against Hapoel.
The La Dea have only conceded 1.10 goals per game in all competitions this season and will feel they can keep this one tight, having held Athletic Bilbao to a 0-1 defeat in their previous meeting.
Sarri will seek structure in a clash of similar sides
Hapoel's recent results tell you that they can get under the skin of good sides and pinch a result, but the 0-0 draw in the reverse fixture, which was a draw, suggests that Atalanta should just have enough in the locker to edge this one.
Atalanta are 1.5 favourites for this game, but it is hard to see why when Hapoel are 6.0 and the draw is 4.3.
Maurizio Sarri is slowly getting the players to play the structured possession game he likes and the vertical, short passing combinations could stretch Hapoel's defensive line, which Elyaniv Barda sets up in a compact 4-2-3-1.
La Dea are the more consistent side, and their record of 4 wins, 3 draws and 3 defeats in their last 10 matches is identical to Hapoel, but their defence looks slightly better.
Under 2.5 goals at 2.1 and Both Teams to Score - No at 1.9 are our bets for this clash.
Atalanta to edge cagey clash
Hapoel have scored 1.50 and conceded 1.40 goals in their UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026 qualification campaign, which suggests that there could be some open play at DVTK stadion on Thursday, but Atalanta have the structure to limit chaos.
Nikola Krstovic has scored three goals in his last five appearances for La Dea and looks like the most likely man to finish off Sarri's structured moves.
Emmanuel Boateng leads the scoring for the Reds in this competition with two goals in five appearances and is their best chance of making a breakaway.
