The first of three European Cup finals takes place on Wednesday evening and sees Italian side Atalanta take on German record holders Leverkusen in the EL final. The match will take place in Dublin and is the fifteenth EL final.
The Aviva Stadium, more associated with rugby than football, will undoubtedly be an excellent venue for such a prestigious match, although many locals would have hoped that Liverpool would be one of the teams in the final, due to the large Irish support for the Merseyside club. Nonetheless, anyone who attends this match will witness history as Leverkusen will have the chance to win the second leg of their potential treble, as well as continue their long unbeaten streak. The alternative, an Atalanta victory, would be the first Italian team to lift the trophy.
Atalanta – what to expect
Atalanta will go into this match as underdogs, but that’s something that hasn’t bothered them much this season, especially when they beat tournament favorites Liverpool with relative ease. They are expected to compete in the CL next season after another strong campaign in Serie A, they are currently in fifth place and have the possibility of finishing as high as third. Gian Piero Gasperini’s men have had an excellent campaign and knocked out Sporting Lisbon and Marseille as well as Liverpool on their way to this final, so they certainly shouldn’t be underestimated ahead of this game. They have won seven of the twelve matches they have played in the tournament, with only one defeat, and they have scored in all but two of their last twenty-five continental matches. They may also gain confidence from the fact that they beat Leverkusen in their previous meeting, in 2021/22, and may feel a little harsh from the fact that they are considered underdogs in this showpiece final.
Bayer Leverkusen – what to expect
Bayer Leverkusen had their best season ever, no one would have imagined such success awaited them when they appointed Xabi Alonso. Their unbeaten season will go down in history, 51 games unbeaten is certainly a tremendous achievement. The fact that they are heavy favorites in the German Cup final against second division Kaiserslautern means they have every chance of completing an impressive treble. Their victory on the final day of the season means they have managed to become the first undefeated team in the Bundesliga and a victory on Wednesday would not only maintain that record but would also allow them to win only their second European trophy. The only previous triumph came in 1988, and confidence will be high ahead of the next two cup finals.
Leverkusen will look to their young prodigy Florian Wirtz to propel them ahead, he has scored the opening goal in three EL matches this season for Leverkusen. For Atalanta, Gianluca Scamacca has scored five goals in EL this season and has never lost a European match in which he scored.
Both teams have won four of their last five matches and both scored four goals in their semi-finals, with Atalanta beating Marseille 4-1 on aggregate and Leverkusen getting the better of AS Roma with an aggregate score of 4-2. The odds are in favor of a Leverkusen victory, but it may be worth considering an extension of the match, as the last three finals of this tournament have all ended in penalties. It’s hard to imagine this being a low-scoring final, with Leverkusen’s record in particular showing goals scored in the match. That being said, finals are generally more tense and there is very little choice between under and over 2.5 in this match.
All three European Cup finals should be very entertaining and we look forward to this one setting the standard for the rest.
Last updated: 05/22/2024
