Atalanta Faces Bayer Leverkusen In Europa League Final: An Unbeaten Treble In Sight

Bayer Leverkusen, often dubbed 'Neverkusen' due to past failures, have already made history this season by becoming the first team in Bundesliga history to go unbeaten and win the title. They are now on a quest to complete an unbeaten treble by winning the Europa League and the DFB-Pokal.

Leverkusen have remained unbeaten in 51 games this season, including 12 games in the Europa League. Only three teams have previously won the competition without losing a game. Leverkusen's coach, Xabi Alonso, has impressed with his progressive style of play and their passing game has been exceptional, recording the most successful passes in the Europa League this season.

They have also shown resilience, scoring late goals to save their unbeaten record. Atalanta, on the other hand, are participating in their first European final and are hoping to finally win a major trophy under manager Gian Piero Gasperini. They have secured Champions League qualification and have had a successful season, finishing with more than 65 points for the fifth time under Gasperini.

Atalanta have been solid defensively in the Europa League, facing fewer shots on target than any other team in the competition. However, they will face a tough challenge against Leverkusen's attacking prowess, as the German team has recorded the most shots in the Europa League this season.

The final will showcase an intriguing tactical battle between two progressive coaches. Gasperini will become the oldest coach to take charge of his first major European final, while Alonso will become the youngest coach to manage a men's European final since Roberto Di Matteo.

Key players to watch include Florian Wirtz for Leverkusen, who was named Bundesliga Player of the Year, and Gianluca Scamacca for Atalanta, who has been scoring crucial goals. Leverkusen enter the final as favourites, but Atalanta should not be ruled out as they have been in good form recently.

Predictions and Odds

The Opta supercomputer predicts a 50.2% chance of victory for Leverkusen within 90 minutes, a 24.4% chance for Atalanta, and a 25.4% chance of a draw leading to potentially extra time and penalties.