Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen: Match Preview
The 53rd final in the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League, and 15th in the UEL era, pits together Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen. The Aviva Stadium in Ireland’s capital, Dublin, hosts this exciting game between two teams who have made themselves prominent on the continental stage.
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Atalanta is the ninth different Italian side to participate in this competition’s showpiece. Only Germany with 10 different teams making the UC/UEL final has more. This is also the Bergamaschi’s first European final, 36 years on from their only other semifinal appearance. There, they lost to eventual champions KV Mechelen in the 1987/88 UEFA Cup Winners Cup.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side has been incredible in the Europa League this term, losing just once – a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool in their quarterfinal second leg. Save for that previously mentioned reverse to the English side, Atalanta has found the back of the net in their other UEL matches this term.
A week on from their Coppa Italia final loss to Juventus, La Dea will be desperate to end the season with a trophy. They get a second bite at that a week after the last attempt. They will surely not want to mess this opportunity up.
In what has been perhaps the biggest revelation this season, Bayer Leverkusen has done the unthinkable. They head into this final on the back of a 51-game unbeaten run, where they have seldom lost a game across all competitions this season. They became the first team in the Bundesliga to win the competition without losing. A simply remarkable stat.
Die Werkself is looking for their second triumph in this competition, albeit their first under the UEL’s current guise. Back in 1987/88, they topped Espanyol to win their only European silverware to date. They reached one other final in the 2001/02 Champions League. That time, they could not replicate the magic of 14 years prior, losing to Real Madrid in the showpiece.
Leverkusen is looking to become the second team in the Europa League era to claim a league, cup and Europa League treble. The only other side to do so was FC Porto in the 2010/11 edition. Fittingly, Porto won the final at the Aviva Stadium. Could lightning strike twice? After this game, Leverkusen faces second tier side Kaiserslautern in the DFB Pokal final. Win on Wednesday and they will be one game away from going the whole season without defeat.
Match Facts
Date: Wednesday, 11 May, 2024
Kickoff Time: 21:00 CET (15:00 ET/12:00 PT)
Location: Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen Predicted Lineups
Atalanta: Musso; Scalvini, Hien, Djimsiti; Zappacosta, Pašalić, Éderson, Ruggeri; Koopmeiners; De Ketelaere, Scamacca
Bayer Leverkusen: Kovář; Stanišić, Tah, Tapsoba; Frimpong, Andrich, Xhaka, Hincapie; Wirtz, Adli, Grimaldo
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen Odds
| Atalanta Win | 4.33 |
| Draw | 3.75 |
| Bayer Leverkusen Win | 1.80 |
| Both Teams Score Y/N | 1.80 / 1.95 |
| Over / Under 2.5 Goals | 1.90 / 1.90 |
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen Prediction
Bayer Leverkusen to win at 1.80
Just last round, Leverkusen knocked off another Italian side in AS Roma, exacting revenge on the Giallorossi. While Roma coach Danielle De Rossi claims that this Atalanta side can beat this Leverkusen team, it is hard to see that happening.
With that said, count Atalanta out at your own peril. The Beramaschi have lost just once since the quarterfinal defeat to Liverpool. They have all the tools required to get the better of the Geramns. Whether they will actually be able to do it is another matter.
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen Tips
Both teams to score at 1.80
It is a pretty safe bet to say that both teams will find the back of the net. In fact, Leverkusen has found the net on multiple occasions in 10 of their 12 Europa League games this season. Thus, they will almost certainly score.
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Atalanta has scored in all but one UEL match this term, giving us reason to believe they will at least score in the match. All signs point to Leverkusen to win it, but Atalanta will put up a very good fight for this one.