It's the Invincibles against the Goddess in Dublin on Wednesday as Bayer Leverkusen take on Atalanta for the Europa League crown. Two clubs without a great history of major honors are within touching distance of the prize, one which would rank as by far Atalanta's greatest given that their last top-tier trophy came in the 1963 Coppa Italia final.
You don't have to go so far back for the last time Bayer Leverkusen hoisted silverware, it was only on Saturday they were celebrating the Bundesliga title they secured last month. Still, the stakes might be even higher for Xabi Alonso's side, who are bidding to achieve something unprecedented in post-war football history, an unbeaten season in all competitions. Here is how you can watch the match and what you need to know:
Viewing information
- Date:Wednesday, May 22 |Time:3 p.m. ET
- Location:Aviva Stadium -- Dublin
- Live stream:Paramount+
- Odds:Atalanta +333; Draw +260; Bayer Leverkusen -125
How they got here
Atalanta's road to the final has been an impressive one, starting with a group stage campaign where Gianpiero Gasperini's side won four and drew two, beating Sporting on the road to come out top of a group that included teams that would go on to be champions of Portugal and Austria. Another rematch with Sporting held no fear for Atalanta, Gianluca Scamacca and Ademola Lookman netting in the second half in Bergamo.
Then came one of the games of the season, Scamacca rising to the moment with a brace as strong favorites Liverpool were blown out of the competition with a 3-0 defeat at Anfield, an irretrievable deficit even for Jurgen Klopp. Marseille held firm in the first leg of the semifinals but Atalanta were rampant at home, Lookman striking in the first half before Matteo Ruggeri and El Bilal Toure guided La Dea to a first European final.
Bayer Leverkusen's flair for the dramatic was in full display in the Europa League knockout stages even if Group H had been rather prosaic: 19 goals for, three against and 18 points from a possible 18. The drama came in the round of 16 where Alonso's men were two goals down in both legs to Qarabag. Florian Wirtz and Patrik Schick earned them a draw in Baku but the second leg was altogether more dramatic, the latter scoring in the 93rd and 98th minutes to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 win.
The run of late goals was not stopping there; Jonas Hofmann and Victor Boniface undid West Ham in the first leg before Jeremie Frimpong denied the Irons even the consolation of a second-leg win. As for Roma, the hard work seemed to be done when Daniele De Rossi's men were beaten 2-0 in the Italian capital but two penalties from Leandro Paredes blew the semifinal wide open.
A Gianluca Mancini goal restored Leverkusen's lead on aggregate but that would not be enough for a side chasing a record 49th game unbeaten, a full season without loss in sight. Josip Stanisic struck in the 98th minute and the run went on, as it has all the way to Dublin.
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Team news
Atalanta: Marten de Roon's absence will be keenly felt by Atalanta, the vice-captain and veteran of nearly 350 games for the club revealing last week that a thigh injury meant "what should've been the most important week of my career, became the biggest nightmare." There have also been questions over the availability of Sead Kolasinac, a key component to Gasperini's defensive line, but he did take part in training. Rafael Toloi is also nursing a thigh issue.
Possible Atalanta XI:Musso; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Zappacosta, Ederson, Koopmeiners, Ruggeri; De Ketelaere, Pasalic; Scamacca
Bayer Leverkusen: Alonso had one key cause for concern in the days leading up to the final, would the transformative Florian Wirtz be fit enough to start after managing just 27 minutes of Bundesliga football in the final three games of the campaign? The answer was rather clear.
"Flo can play and is fit," said the Leverkusen boss. "We'll see what role he gets [Wednesday]. In any case, he is undoubtedly a key player for us and can make the difference in every game."
That aside it is a fully fit squad for Alonso to pick from, with Amine Adli vying for a starting spot ahead of Victor Boniface and Jonas Hofmann. Matej Kovar will retain his role as Leverkusen's cup goalkeeper.
Possible Bayer Leverkusen XI: Kovar; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Xhaka, Palacios, Grimaldo; Hofmann, Wirtz; Adli
Prediction
Atalanta will give Leverkusen as tough an examination as anyone has but after everything the Bundesliga champions have achieved over the last 10 months, how could you pick against them? PICK: Atalanta 1, Bayer Leverkusen 2 (a.e.t.)
