Other than a UEFA Intertoto Cup appearance in 1996/97, Hapoel Haifa has never qualified for a European competition. There is a 17 years distance between their last and only appearance at this level, so nerves will definitely be part of their encounter with Atalanta today.
Kick-off time: 18:00 CET/GMT+2
Venue: Sammy Ofer Stadium, Haifa
Haifa vs Atalanta – How they got here?
Atalanta was directly into the group stage until a few days before taking the pitch against Sarajevo. A court ruling has lifted AC Milan’s European ban and altered Atalanta’s plans. The team from Bergamo had to react quickly and didn’t have enough time to prepare, resulting in a poor performance in the first leg in Bosnia (2-2). However, an 8-0 thrashing in the rematch deleted all memories of that draw and earned them a meeting with Hapoel.
The Israelis entered this year’s Europa League qualifiers by lifting Israel’s domestic cup trophy and eliminated Iceland’s Hafnarfjordur in the previous round, winning 1-0 on the road after drawing 1-1 at home.
Bet on Hapoel Haifa vs Atalanta with bet365
Atalanta are the favourites to progress
Last seasons was Atalanta’s first European campaign and it was a largely successful one. Even though they were considered the third best team, Gian Piero Gasperini’s men topped the group with Lyon and Everton but were unfortunate to be drawn against Borussia Dortmund, narrowly losing 4-3 over two legs in the first knockout round.
The pre-season has seen them beat all four opponents they faced, scoring at least three goals in every win. The Italians are huge favourites to come out from this tie as winners, yet they might have a hard time getting a positive result in Israel, as motivation will be at an all-time high for Hapoel Haifa.
Hapoel Haifa vs Atalanta Bet365 Odds
Atalanta conceded in 74% of their away games last season, so betting on both teams scoring in this contest is a wise idea. Bet365 offers a great line for that to happen:
Both teams to score 2.1 (11/10)
Atalanta team news
Josip Ilicic is out with an illness, so Atalanta will be counting on Gambian teenage sensation Musa Barrow and captain Alejandro Gomez to provide the offensive thump.