Dublin plays host to the 2024 Europa League final with Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen set to duel at the Aviva Stadium on Wednesday night.
The absence of perennial victors and holders Sevilla brings a freshness to this season's final, with Leverkusen aiming to complete the second part of what has the makings of a historic treble.
Xabi Alonso's side wrapped up the Bundesliga title in April and their 2-1 victory over Augsburg on Saturday meant they became the first ever German team to enjoy an unbeaten domestic campaign. Kaiserslautern await in Saturday's DFB-Pokal final.
Atalanta are aiming to inflict the first defeat upon Alonso's men this season, with La Dea hunting for their maiden European trophy and first major honour since they lifted the Coppa Italia in 1963. Gian Piero Gasperini's side were only recently beaten in the Coppa Italia final by Juventus - the third final they've lost in six years.
The Italians need a point from their final two Serie A outings to guarantee their place in next season's Champions League, although a victory in Dublin will hand them a ticket into Europe's premier club competition.
Here's 90min's preview of Wednesday's Europa League final.
Atalanta | Bayer Leverkusen |
|---|---|
Lecce 0-2 Atalanta - 18/05/24 | Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 Augsburg - 18/05/24 |
Atalanta 0-1 Juventus - 15/05/24 | Bochum 0-5 Bayer Leverkusen - 12/05/24 |
Atalanta 2-1 Roma - 12/05/24 | Bayer Leverkusen 2-2 Roma - 09/05/24 |
Atalanta 3-0 Marseille - 09/05/24 | Eintracht Frankfurt 1-5 Bayer Leverkusen - 05/05/24 |
Salernitana 1-2 Atalanta - 06/05/24 | Roma 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen - 02/05/24 |
Country | TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | discovery+, discovery+ App, TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate |
United States | TUDN USA, UniMás, TUDN.com, Univision NOW, CBS Sports Network, Paramount+, TUDN App, ViX |
Canada | DAZN |
Atalanta stalwart Marten De Roon confirmed over the weekend he will miss Wednesday's final due to a hamstring injury.
Gasperini is also set to be without Sead Kolasinac, while Emil Holm is a doubt with a calf injury.
Charles De Ketelaere, Teun Koopmeiners and Ederson should return to the starting XI having earned rests away at Lecce on Saturday.
Atalanta predicted lineup vs Bayer Leverkusen (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi; Toloi, Hien, Scalvini; Hateboer, Ederson, Koopmeiners, Ruggeri; Lookman, De Ketelaere; Scamacca.
The Bundesliga champions have no injury concerns, with Xabi Alonso having a full complement of players to choose from on Wednesday.
Granit Xhaka and Florian Wirtz are among the players expected to return to the starting XI after earning minutes off the bench against Augsburg on Saturday.
Lukas Hradecky will be replaced by Matej Kovar between the sticks, with the latter starting all but one of Leverkusen's Europa League fixtures this season.
Bayer Leverkusen predicted lineup vs Atalanta (3-4-2-1): Kovar; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Andrich, Xhaka, Grimaldo; Wirtz, Adli; Schick.
Leverkusen downed Italian opposition in Roma to advance into the final and will take on a Serie A outfit with distinctly un-Italian ideals. Gasperini's Atalanta aren't quite as swashbuckling as their 2019/20 vintage, but they're an aggressive outfit that, like Leverkusen, place a heavy emphasis on man-marking and regaining possession high up the pitch.
The fight for control will be intense in Dublin, with both sides capable of majestic sequences of possession play, especially down the flanks.
There's certainly a chance both teams cancel each other out in this one, with the added stakes likely to facilitate an edgy affair defined by a moment or two. This could go either way; are you backing the story or the historic campaign? Heart or head? It could be the latter.
30 Nov, 2024
29 Apr, 2023
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