Atalanta to meet Bayer Leverkusen in Europa League final on Wednesday

By Can Erozden

First-time finalists Atalanta from Italy will meet German opponents Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Europa League final in Ireland on Wednesday.

Atalanta are seeking their first-ever European title while Leverkusen, who won the continental title in 1980s, are on the hunt for a treble.

Xabi Alonso's Leverkusen are having an amazing season as they have already won the 2024 German Bundesliga title, which was the club's first.

Last weekend, the Werkself finished the Bundesliga season in style. They became the first German team to complete a domestic campaign unbeaten. Following a 2-1 win over Augsburg on May 18, Leverkusen have extended their unbeaten run to 51 matches in all competitions.

After Europa League final in Dublin, Leverkusen will play the German Cup final against underdogs Kaiserslautern on Saturday.

Leverkusen are looking to win their second European title as they won the 1988 UEFA Cup, which was the Europa League's forerunner.

In the previous round, Gian Piero Gasperini's Atalanta eliminated France's Olympique Marseille, winning the semifinal tie 4-1 on aggregate. Leverkusen beat Roma 4-2 on aggregate to have booked their place at the Dublin final.

Gianluca Scamacca, who scored six goals in 10 Europa League matches, will be Atalanta's main goal threat in the final.

Italian forward Scamacca, who joined from West Ham United in 2023, scored 18 goals in 41 matches this season.

Leverkusen's Nigerian forward Victor Boniface and Patrik Schick from the Czech Republic had five goals each in the Europa League campaign.

Boniface scored 21 goals in all competitions to be Leverkusen's highest scorer this season.

Leverkusen do not have any injured or suspended player.

However, Atalanta's Swedish midfielder Emil Holm and Dutch midfielder Marten De Roon are still having injuries to miss the final.

In addition, the Atalanta duo in defense Rafael Toloi and Sead Kolasinac are doubtful for the Dublin showdown as both have thigh injuries.

The final will begin at Dublin Arena at 1900GMT.

The final's venue, which opened in 2010, is home to Irish national football and rugby union teams.

The Dublin Arena is set to host the first Europa League final since 2011, an all-Portuguese final in which Porto beat Braga 1-0.