Sarri Prepares for Challenging Atalanta Match Against Hapoel
Maurizio Sarri is not selling anyone a dream. Atalanta are 90 minutes – or more – from the Conference League group stage, but the coach sees a trap as much as an opportunity.
The 0-0 draw in the first leg at the New Balance Arena left everything open ahead of Thursday’s return against Hapoel Tel Aviv, to be played on neutral ground in Hungary. No away-goal cushion, no safety net. Just a straight shootout for Europe.
“We saw in the first leg it’ll be a difficult match,” Sarri told Sky Sport Italia, via TuttoMercatoWeb. “We have to be convinced we can do it. Clearly without becoming presumptuous. We want to play in a European competition. It’ll be tough against a team in great physical condition.”
That is the tightrope he keeps returning to: belief without arrogance, ambition without illusion.
De Ketelaere back, but handled with care
There is at least one piece of good news. Charles De Ketelaere is available again. That doesn’t mean Sarri will lean on him for 90 minutes.
“He’s trained very little after the small adductor problem,” the coach 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.”
It is a classic European play-off dilemma. Start your most talented player and risk burning him out if the game goes long, or keep him as a weapon off the bench and hope you’re still in control when he arrives.
Sarri is leaving that decision late.
Scamacca or Krstovic – or both?
Up front, the picture is just as blurred. Gianluca Scamacca and Nikola Krstovic are pushing each other, and Sarri has not nailed his colours to either mast.
“I haven’t decided yet,” he said of his centre-forward choice. “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.”
That last line matters. Sarri is already thinking beyond one game, imagining a season where his strikers rotate, combine and share the load. On Thursday night, though, one of them will carry the responsibility from the first whistle.
Hapoel’s threat and a neutral-stage test
Elyaniv Barda’s Hapoel Tel Aviv are not here by accident. They have already knocked out Ludogorets and GKS Katowice to reach this play-off, riding intensity, organisation and a sharp transition game.
“They gather well and then break well,” Sarri said, expecting a similar script to the first leg. “I don’t think they’ll change their attitude much, we’ll see.”
The venue adds another layer. Instead of a hostile night in Israel, the tie moves to a neutral stadium in Hungary. It strips away some of Hapoel’s home advantage but also removes the classic European away-day context. This is closer to a one-off final on foreign soil.
Defence still learning Sarri’s code
Sarri did not hide behind the clean sheet from the first leg. His assessment of his back line was blunt.
“It’s still lacking, there’s no point saying otherwise today,” he said of how his defenders are absorbing his ideas. “The most difficult moment will be when they think they know how to do certain things and instead they still aren’t able to.”
The message is clear: the structure is a work in progress, and the real danger comes when players believe the job is done. Against a side that “gathers and breaks” with pace, any illusion of control could be punished in an instant.
Atalanta stand one match away from the Conference League proper, with a coach demanding conviction but warning against comfort. On a neutral night in Hungary, we are about to find out which instinct wins.
