Europa League Final PREVIEW | Atalanta V Bayer Leverkusen | OneFootball

Atalanta will represent Italy and the Serie A in the Europa League Final in Dublin this Wednesday.

La Dea are set to take on Bayer Leverkusen, who just this weekend were handed over the Bundesliga trophy for the first time in their history. Their 2-1 win over Augsburg also confirmed that they won the league without losing a single game, becoming the first ever invincible team in German league history.

It’s safe to say the Italian side have a serious task on their hands as they chase a first ever European title.

Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have had an amazing season themselves. Victory at Lecce means they have now qualified for next year’s UEFA Champions League, and they also reached the Coppa Italia final last week, but sadly just missed out on silverware by losing 1-0 to Juventus.

This Leverkusen side is a different beast though. They have now gone 51 games unbeaten so far this season, and they have scored almost 20 goals in stoppage time to salvage late wins and draws even when it seemed like their run might be coming to an end. This team is special, as a collective for sure, but one that is rich in individual talent.

Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen met in the Europa League Round of 16 in 2022. Atalanta won both legs of that tie to progress to the next round but a certain Spaniard hadn’t revolutionsed Bayer 04 back then. Nobody expected their performance levels to be so incredible this season, and yet they are on for a historic treble, without defeat. Bayer play in the German cup final against second division side Kaiserslautern on Saturday.

Atalanta fans seem buoyed by a brilliant season but it might be about to get even better. Perhaps Gasperini’s men have a style that can prove to be the kryptonite of Alonso’s trail-blazers. Nobody gave Atalanta a chance against Liverpool but some intense man marking and clinical counter attacking saw them defeat Jurgen Klopp’s Premier League giants. Sooner or later somebody has to take advantage of this bold Bayer team.

From Florian Wirtz to Jonatahan Tah and Victor Boniface to Alejandro Grimaldo this Bayer team has quality all over the pitch, and perhaps more importantly than that – this team feels invincible. Atalanta must ride their own wave of confidence and turn recent form into a much coveted trophy. The club, and Gasperini in particular, deserve it for their own incredible rise to the top, albeit not as rapid a rise as that of Bayer.

Despite the sensation that Atalanta have already achieved their dreams in reaching a European Final and qualifying for the Champions League, they could well be the perfect team to take down Leverkusen, matching them with their intensity and character. Leverkusen are carrying the aura of invincibility well and losing doesn’t seem to be on their radar, but anything can happen in what will hopefully be a wonderfully entertaining Europa League final.

Joseph O’Sullivan | GIFN