Europa League Final 2024 Preview: Atalanta vs. Bayer Leverkusen

Europa League Final 2024 Preview: Atalanta vs. Bayer Leverkusen

The Europa League final is fast approaching and it's bound to be an exciting one, scheduled for Wednesday evening at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Several great teams have been knocked out along the way, such as AC Milan, Liverpool and West Ham, which certainly highlights the calibre of the finalists.

However, for football punters, it might be difficult to predict the outcome of the game. Bayer Leverkusen have been outstanding, not losing a single game all season, while Atalanta could still finish in the top three in Serie A. Both teams also have highly-rated managers, namely Xabi Alonso and Gian Piero Gasperini, with clear attacking styles that are entertaining to watch.

Without further ado, let's take a look at the two teams and what you should know ahead of the action on Wednesday evening.

Atalanta - Team News and Key Players

Gasperini's side have done very well under the circumstances this season, recovering from a rocky start which saw them in 8th place after 17 games. They still have a shot at clinching third place in the league and have already secured Champions League qualification for next season, thanks to Italy having five spots this time out.

The defeat in the Coppa Italia final against Juventus was a punch to the gut, especially considering the Bianconeri's recent form, and registering zero shots on target was far from good. On the other hand, the Bergamo side will surely be keen to get revenge come Wednesday evening, knowing how much it hurts to lose a final.

Gianluca Scamacca has come to life in the second half of this season, scoring 12 out of his 18 goals since the start of the year. He was crucial in the first leg against Liverpool with a lovely brace and had he been available against Juventus (suspended), the outcome could have been very different. On a good day, he can be very difficult to stop.

In addition to the striker, Teun Koopmeiners is another important player who likes to get on the ball a lot, operating between the opponent's midfield and defence. The stats attest to this, with 15 goals and 7 assists in all competitions this season. Honourable mentions include the goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi, the captain Rafael Toloi and the Milan loanee Charles De Ketelaere.

Bayer Leverkusen - Team News and Key Players

Anyone who follows football will know a lot about Bayer Leverkusen's season, as it's truly been an amazing one under the guidance of Alonso. They were crowned champions after 29 rounds and have also reached the final of the DFB-Pokal, scheduled to take on 1. FC Kaiserslautern later this week.

The schedule has been demanding as of late and this week will certainly be hectic, but at least they now have the triple in sight. Furthermore, mentality trumps physical form at this stage of the season and Alonso's side have displayed great character, scoring multiple injury-time goals which ultimately made them the first invincibles in German history.

Alex Grimaldo has been touted as one of the most important players for Bayer Leverkusen and the stats certainly back that up, with a whopping 12 goals and 19 assists from his wing-back position. Whoever starts on the right for Atalanta will have to be very careful, in other words, and the Spaniard will have to make the most of his qualities.

In finals, you also need players with character and Granit Xhaka is certainly one of them. He might not always be the most technically brilliant player, but he's not afraid to get stuck in and always gets the dirty work done. Against Atalanta, he will be very important as the Bergamo side like to play between the lines and are bound to cause some havoc.

We could mention several players here, truth be told, but some honourable mentions include Josip Stanisic, Florian Wirtz and Patrik Schick. The latter has faced Atalanta several times before, having played for Sampdoria and Roma, so he could be the perfect man for Bayer Leverkusen up front.