Maurizio Sarri is taking nothing for granted. Ahead of Thursday's Conference League playoff return leg against Hapoel Tel Aviv, Atalanta's head coach warned that his side face a stern test against opponents in "excellent physical condition," even with a place in this season's league phase on the line.
It is Sarri's first real audit since Atalanta brought him back to Serie A over the summer to succeed Gian Piero Gasperini, who left for Roma. His first competitive match in charge, the first leg in Bergamo, ended goalless, leaving the tie delicately poised.
"This will be a difficult match," Sarri told reporters. "We saw that in the first game, but we need to be convinced we can do it."
He was blunt about the scale of the challenge posed by an Israeli side that has already outlasted two European ties this summer. "It will be hard against a team in excellent physical condition," he said, before turning to Hapoel's shape without the ball. "They compact well and then move forward effectively. I don't think they'll change their approach much, we'll see."
The return leg will not be played in Tel Aviv. As is now standard for Israeli clubs' home fixtures in European competition amid ongoing security considerations, the match has been switched to a neutral venue, the DVTK Stadion in the Hungarian city of Miskolc, with kick-off at 20:00 CEST on Thursday.
Sarri also has a selection puzzle up front. Gianluca Scamacca and Nikola Krstovic have been competing for the same starting berth, and the coach declined to show his hand. "I haven't decided yet," he said. "Both are in good shape and both seem to be improving."
Belgian forward Charles De Ketelaere is a doubt. He has only recently returned from a minor injury and, by Sarri's own admission, is not yet fully sharp, leaving his involvement in Miskolc uncertain.
For Hapoel Tel Aviv, simply standing 90 minutes from the league phase already marks a landmark European run. The club beat Katowice before overturning a 2-2 second-leg scare against Ludogorets Razgrad to win 4-2 on aggregate, sealing Hapoel's return to continental football after a 12-year absence.
A win in Hungary would send Hapoel into the Conference League's league phase, guaranteeing several more European fixtures this season and a significant financial boost for the club. For Atalanta and Sarri, anything less than progression would be an unwanted early setback in the new manager's tenure.
