History for both Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen

Bayer Leverkusen are too strong, but Atalanta are not easy to play against!

At the end of the 2001-2002 season, Bayer Leverkusen were nicknamed "Neverkusen" after enduring 11 miserable days – finishing as runners-up in the Bundesliga, Champions League, and German Cup. 22 years later, Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen once again have the opportunity for a historic treble. Their 2-1 victory against Augsburg (May 18th) secured them the Bundesliga title with an unbeaten record. Across Europe, only Arsenal (England, 2003-2004) and Juventus (Italy, 2011-2012) have achieved a similar feat in the 21st century. This week, the German side will travel to Dublin (Ireland) for the Europa League final before facing Kaiserslautern in the German Cup (May 25th). Xabi Alonso and his players undoubtedly have only one goal: to be winners!

Bayern Leverkusen are on the verge of a historic treble.

To reach their third European final, Bayer Leverkusen boasts an impressive record of 9 wins and 3 draws. Coach Xabi Alonso is making waves in Germany and Europe with his modern, ball-possession-based football philosophy. "Die Werkself" completed 6,622 successful passes in this season's Europa League, more than any other team. Their pass accuracy is 89.5%, the second highest in history (after Nice in the 2017-2018 season, 90%). The German team's short-pass success rate is 94.3%, the best in the tournament's history.

However, even without possession, Bayer Leverkusen still found a way to "finish" the game. Proof of this was in the second leg of the semi-final against AS Roma, where Bayer Leverkusen were outplayed and squandered their two-goal lead from the first leg within just 45 minutes. Despite facing immense pressure from AS Roma, changes made by coach Xabi Alonso in the second half helped Bayer Leverkusen pull one back to 1-2. Then, Josip Stanisic equalized in the 97th minute, securing a 4-2 aggregate victory. This was Bayer Leverkusen's sixth injury-time goal in the Europa League this season.

But if Bayer Leverkusen is too strong, Atalanta will also be a tough opponent. The match at Aviva Stadium will be Atalanta's first ever appearance in a European final. However, in the quarter-finals, the Italian side eliminated the top contender, Liverpool. Atalanta also possesses a talented squad, promising to be a formidable challenge and potentially cause Bayer Leverkusen heartbreak in this season's Europa League final.

Atalanta's direct attacking style is gradually returning in the 2023-2024 season, and "La Dea" boasts one of the strongest attacking lineups in Italy. Furthermore, Atalanta's defense is extremely well-organized, facing an average of only 2.8 shots on target per game – the lowest rate in the 2023-2024 Europa League.

The new coach's "battle" is the main focus.

On the final stage of this season's Europa League, all eyes of Atalanta fans will be on Scamacca, who has scored outstanding goals against Liverpool and Marseille in the last two rounds. Meanwhile, Florian Wirtz – the best player in the Bundesliga, and also with 4 goals and 4 assists in this season's Europa League for Bayer Leverkusen – is also in the spotlight.

However, the "battle" between coaches Xabi Alonso and Gasperini is the main focus. At 66 years and 117 days old, Gasperini will become the oldest coach to lead a team in a Europa League final. His counterpart, Xabi Alonso, at 42 years and 179 days old, will also be the youngest coach to reach a European final. Both Xabi Alonso and Gasperini favor a modern attacking style of play, and a "grand feast" of uncompromising competition awaits them.

According to Opta statistics, Bayer Leverkusen has a slight advantage with a 50.2% chance of winning in 90 minutes. However, Atalanta should not be underestimated as they have won 7 out of their last 9 matches. The Italian team is rated as having a 24.4% chance of winning in 90 minutes, and if the match goes into extra time or a penalty shootout, anything can happen.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chung-ket-europa-league-lich-su-cho-atalanta-lan-bayer-leverkusen-185240521223627282.htm