This stadium hosts the 15th Europa League (UEL) final between Atalanta, experiencing their first continental final, and the team that has been in the spotlight all season, Bayer Leverkusen. The spectators in the stands will witness a historic moment regardless of the match result, as Atalanta could become the first Italian team to lift the UEL trophy, while an unbeaten 52nd match of the season for Leverkusen (42 wins, 9 draws) would leave the new Bundesliga champions just one game away from a treble and an unprecedented campaign.
In this fairy tale, Atalanta undoubtedly plays the role of the “underdog.” Gian Piero Gasperini’s men have repeatedly proven they are capable of beating anyone in Europe, regardless of the country. In this season’s knockout phase, La Dea defeated top teams from Portugal, England, and France, having eliminated Sporting Lisbon, Liverpool, and Marseille on their way to the Dublin final.
These results are part of a recent run of 12 UEL matches with only one defeat (7 wins, 4 draws). Furthermore, having scored in 23 of their last 25 continental matches demonstrates how dangerous Atalanta is. The team also won both previous encounters against Leverkusen, which took place in the Round of 16 of the competition in the 2021/22 season. The fact that the Italian team is not the favorite in this final underscores how exceptional Leverkusen has been.
Superlatives fall short in describing the achievements of Xabi Alonso’s men, whose 51-match unbeaten streak this season is a record for a top European division team. They became the first “invincibles” in Bundesliga history with their league triumph. A 53rd unbeaten match would already propel Alonso into stratospheric fame before the club’s final match of the season next weekend: the German Cup final against Kaiserslautern.
Players to Watch: Gianluca Scamacca from Atalanta has scored five goals in the UEL knockout phase this season, extending his unbeaten record when he finds the net in European competition (7 wins, 3 draws). Florian Wirtz will undoubtedly want to steal the spotlight from Scamacca. Leverkusen’s prodigy has opened the scoring in three of his four UEL goals this season.
Current Streak: The last three UEL finals have been decided by penalty shootouts.
Probable Lineups
Atalanta : Musso – Djimsiti, Hien, Scalvini – Zappacosta, Pasalic, Ederson, Ruggeri – Koopmeiners, De Ketelaere – Scamacca
Leverkusen : Kovar – Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapié – Frimpong, Xhaka, Andrich, Grimaldo – Hofmann, Wirtz – Schick
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