Europa League Final: Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen: Preview, Prediction & Betting Tips

The first European trophy is up for grabs as Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen head to Dublin to face off in the Europa League final.

Date: 22/05/24

Kick-off time: 20:00

Venue: Aviva Stadium

Last weekend, Bayer Leverkusen cemented their season in history, as they lifted the Bundesliga title having gone the whole campaign undefeated. Furthermore, their unbeaten record expands across all competitions, meaning they are just two games away from an incredible unbeaten treble, with them also taking part in the DFB Pokal final. This season they have yet to lose in 51 games, and another win on Wednesday night would secure their second European Cup and first since 1998. They reached the final with a 4-2 aggregate win over Roma. Along the way, they also defeated Qarabag and West Ham in the knockouts.

Atalanta, in contrast, are searching for their first ever European Cup win. Before this year, they had never made it past the quarter-final of the competition. As it stands, the Italian side are going to qualify for the Champions League group stages via their league position, with them set to finish fifth. However, they would much prefer to enter the tournament as Europa League champions. They faced a tricky path to the final, eliminating Sporting Lisbon before comfortably knocking out Liverpool. Marseille were their semi-final opponents, who they beat 4-1 on aggregate.

Goals could be a feature, despite the added pressure of a final. In all competitions, Leverkusen have netted 18 times in their last six, whilst only conceding six. Across their 12 Europa fixtures, they have scored 31 goals, an average of just over 2.5 a game. Their opponents are not as potent in front of goal, finding the back of the net on 22 occasions, but have also let in just eight. Although, their biggest threat will most likely come from striker Gianluca Scamacca, who’s six Europa League goals are only bettered by three other players. Victor Boniface and Patrik Schick lead the way for Leverkusen with five.

These two sides have only ever met twice, with both games coming in the Round of 16 of the Europa League in 2022. Atalanta won both legs, advancing 4-2 on aggregate. The first leg ended 3-2, with each team holding a lead. The second fixture ended 1-0 in the Italians’ favour, as Jeremie Boga netted a very late winner. Historically, Leverkusen have a poor record against Italian opposition. In 27 fixtures, they have won just six times. Atalanta have a similarly poor history, albeit a smaller sample size. They have just three wins in 10 games.

Atalanta

Marten De Roon confirmed he will miss the final after being subbed off in the Coppa Italia final with what looked like a serious knee injury. Sead Kolasinac is a doubt whilst Emil Holm could also miss the game.

Bayer Leverkusen

Xabi Alonso should have a fully fit squad to choose from for the final.

Atalanta

In their last five games, Atalanta have won four and lost one. These results have put them in a very strong position to play Champions League football next season. This run began with a narrow 2-1 win away from home against bottom side Salernitana. They went behind after 18 minutes as Loum Tchaouna opened the scoring for the hosts. They managed to turn it around in the second half with two goals in six minutes from Gianluca Scamacca and Teun Koopmeiners.

Focus shifted to European action as they played in the second leg of the semi-finals of the Europa League against Marseille. After drawing the first leg 1-1 in France, it was all to play for at home. They ran out convincing 3-0 winners to book their place in the final of the competition. Ademola Lookman, Matteo Ruggeri and El Bilal Toure were all on the scoresheet, as they restricted their opponents to just one shot on target.

A return to the league followed with a 2-1 win over Roma. They raced into a 2-0 lead less than midway through the first half, with Charles De Ketelaere netting two goals in as many minutes. Lorenzo Pellegrini halved the deficit in the second half, but the visitors were unable to mount a comeback. Their first opportunity for a trophy came in the Coppa Italia final last week. However, they went home empty-handed as Juventus prevailed 1-0. The only goal of the game came in the fourth minute through Dusan Vlahovic. Their most recent game was a trip to Lecce, in which they won 2-0. De Ketelaere and Scamacca scored two quick-fire goals in the second half.

Bayer Leverkusen

In their last five games, Bayer Leverkusen have won four and drawn one. It was a fantastic end to the season for Leverkusen, as they completed an unbeaten league campaign. This run started with European action, taking on Roma in the Europa League semi-final first leg. They took a comfortable 2-0 lead to take home to Germany with goals from Florian Wirtz and Robert Andrich securing the win. The second leg did not go exactly to plan, as a pair of Leandro Paredes penalties tied the score on aggregate. Leverkusen’s unbeaten streak was also severely under threat. However, an own goal put the Germans back in front in the tie, before Josip Stanisic scored in the 97th minute to ensure their progression.

Between these two legs was an emphatic 5-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt. Granit Xhaka put the Bundesliga champions ahead early, though they were pegged back by Hugo Ekitike just past the half hour mark. Patrik Schick restored their lead on the stroke of half-time before penalties from Exequiel Palacios and Victor Boniface added to another strike by Jeremie Frimpong to complete the rout.

They returned to league action after their European involvement with another dominant win, this time 5-0 away at Bochum. The hosts were reduced to 10 men after 15 minutes, and they could not contain the quality of their opponents. Schick, Boniface, Amine Adil, Stanisic and Alejandro Grimaldo were all on the scoresheet. Their most recent game and final fixture of the league season was against Augsburg. They ended with a 2-1 win, with goals from Boniface and Andrich, before Mert Komur pulled one back.

Bayer Leverkusen are just two games away from going the entire season unbeaten, and we expect them to take a huge step towards that achievement. A European trophy is on the line and though Atalanta will make it a close and entertaining game, Leverkusen should add to their Bundesliga title – Atalanta 1-2 Bayer Leverkusen

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Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen will be available to watch on TNT Sports 1.

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