Just before the second leg: Hapoel Tel Aviv's opponent received significant news
Atalanta, which failed to score against the Reds, won 2:1 against Sassuolo in the first round of the Italian league. In the 60th minute, they received a debut appearance from their star striker, who will be available for the upcoming match in Hungary.
Hapoel Tel Aviv's opponent in the Conference League qualifying playoffs, Atalanta, opened the season this Sunday with a 2:1 victory over Sassuolo, but that was not the main event of concern for the Reds' fans. Charles De Ketelaere, the starting striker for the Belgian national team, came off the bench in the 60th minute to make his debut for the 2026/27 season. De Ketelaere was absent from Maurizio Sarri's squad last Thursday, when Atalanta failed to break through Asaf Tzur's defense, leading to a surprising 0:0 draw. This coming Thursday in Miskolc, Hungary, the Belgian striker is expected to receive more minutes and pose an additional threat to Fernand Mayembo and Chico Alves. Gianluca Raspadori scored first for the Bergamo side in the sixth minute. In the 55th minute, Cas Odenthal equalized, prompting a triple substitution by Sarri in the 60th minute. Also coming on with De Ketelaere was Nikola Krstović, who found the net in the 67th minute.
