Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen LIVE: Europa League final latest ...
Atalanta face Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final with the teams set to clash at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin tonight.
Leverkusen are hoping to keep their incredible unbeaten season going as they target a second trophy of the year having comfortably sown up the Bundesliga. Xabi Alonso’s men have just two matches, including this one, left in the season and could complete a full campaign without defeat. Their other fixture is the German Cup final which means they are also on course for a potential treble.
However, Atalanta are in a decent run of form going unbeaten in each of their four matches since a 1-0 loss to Juventus in the Coppa Italia final. They have won their last six Serie A games and cruised past Marseille 4-1 on aggregate in the Europa League semi-finals. Italy’s strong performance in this year’s European competitions also means Atalanta, who are fifth in their domestic league, have already secured a place in next year’s Champions League so they are under no added pressure to triumph tonight.
Follow all the action below plus get the latest odds and tips right here:
Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen clash in the Europa League final, live on TNT Sports
Leverkusen hoping to secure second trophy and remain unbeaten this season
Atalanta swept past Marseille in semi-finals and are in good form
Atalanta XI: Musso; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Zappacosta, Ederson, Koopmeiners, Ruggeri; De Ketelaere. Scamacca, Lookman
Bayer Leverkusen XI: Kovar; Stanisic, Tah, Tapsoba; Frimpong, Xhaka, Palacios, Hincapie; Wirtz, Adli, Grimaldo
Atalanta 0-0 Bayer Leverkusen20:09 , Mike Jones
9 mins: Now it’s Atalanta’s turn to take a free kick in a dangerous area. Teun Koopmeiners delivers the ball into the box but can’t find a teammate and Leverkusen take back control.
It’s fed to Granit Xhaka who kicks on for a counter-attack before misplacing a pass and losing possession again.
Atalanta 0-0 Bayer Leverkusen20:06 , Mike Jones
6 mins: Oh! Bayer win a free kick over on the right side of the pitch and have a good opportunity to get the ball into the box. Florian Wirtz has the honour but completely misses up his cross and doesn’t get the ball past the first defender.
At the other end of the pitch Ederson attempts to slip Ademola Lookman into the penalty area but Matej Kovar sprints off his line and scoops up the ball before Lookman can get there.
Atalanta 0-0 Bayer Leverkusen20:03 , Mike Jones
3 mins: A first attempt to get forward from Bayer Leverkusen sees then work the ball down the left wing with a quick one-two. Piero Hincapie then releases a forward pass and looks ot play Amine Adli in behind the lines.
Berat Djimsiti shuffles across, holds the forward at bay then clears the danger.
Kick off! Atalanta 0-0 Bayer Leverkusen20:01 , Mike Jones
Atalanta get the ball rolling and feed it back to the defensive line. It’s punted long but gets easily cleared by Leverkusen. This Europa League final is underway.
19:57 , Mike Jones
The players follow the officials out into the stadium. The Europa League anthem plays around the speakers and the crowd raise the noise levels.
Kick off is up next...
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen19:55 , Mike Jones
John O’Shea brings the Europa League trophy out onto the pitch at the Aviva Stadium. The ground is packed, flags are flying and the atmosphere has ramped right up.
The players are waiting in the tunnel ahead of this final. We’re in for a cracking game.
How Xabi Alonso brought Bayer Leverkusen to the edge of perfection19:50 , Mike Jones
As Xabi Alonso arrived into Dublin, he was of course asked whether it was good to be back. The Bayer Leverkusen manager came to Ireland for a summer when 14 years old to learn English, and it only fosters the sense of a figure coming full circle.
There’s a personal history here, and there could well be a football history through a series of doubles. Alonso may ensure an unbeaten European campaign in Wednesday’s Europa League final, against Atalanta, to go with an unbeaten league campaign. There’s still Saturday’s DFB-Pokal final to come, and that is against second-tier side Kaiserslautern.
The Basque is so close to an unprecedented unbeaten treble, and what would be one of the great football achievements.
How Xabi Alonso brought Bayer Leverkusen to the edge of perfection
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen19:45 , Mike Jones
At the age of 66 years and 117 days on the day of this game, Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini will be the oldest manager to take charge of his first ever major European final and oldest overall since Jupp Heynckes in the 2013 Champions League final (68 years, 16 days).
His counterpart Xabi Alonso, at 42 years and 179 days, will be the youngest to manage in a European final since Roberto Di Matteo in the 2012 Champions League final (41 years, 356 days), which was against Heynckes.
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen19:40 , Mike Jones
Atalanta’s Gianluca Scamacca has scored six Europa League goals this season. Only two Italian players have scored more in a single campaign: Giuseppe Rossi in 2010-11 for Villarreal (10) and Ciro Immobile in 2017-18 for Lazio (8).
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen19:35 , Mike Jones
Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz has been involved in eight goals in the Europa League this season (4 goals, 4 assists), the most of any Bayer player.
He has created 28 chances in open play, a tally only five players can better in a Europa League campaign, most recently Amin Younes for Ajax in 2016-17 (30).
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen19:30 , Mike Jones
Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso played in both the 2005 and 2007 Champions League finals for Liverpool.
He is the fourth person to both play in and manage a major European final this century, along with Zinedine Zidane (played in 2002 CL final, managed in 2016, 2017, 2018 CL finals), Antonio Conte (played in 2003 CL final, managed in 2020 EL final) and Giovanni van Bronckhorst (played in 2006 CL final, managed in 2022 EL final).
19:25 , Mike Jones
Dublin’s Aviva Stadium will become the first venue to host more than one Uefa Europa League final, having played host to the 2011 final which was won 1-0 by FC Porto against Sporting Braga thanks to a goal from Radamel Falcao.
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen19:20 , Mike Jones
Six of Bayer Leverkusen’s 31 Uefa Europa League goals this season have been scored in the 90th minute of matches – it’s the most 90th minute goals a side has scored in a single major European season.
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen19:15 , Mike Jones
Bayer Leverkusen have had 232 shots in the Uefa Europa League this season, the most by a team in one season since Chelsea in 2018-19 (247).
They’ve had 30+ shots in three different matches this season, something that had only been achieved more than once in a season by one team previously (Marseille in 2015-16, twice).
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen19:10 , Mike Jones
Atalanta have only faced 2.8 shots on target per game in the Uefa Europa League this season, the lowest ratio of any side in the competition this season; their final opponents Bayer Leverkusen have been averaging 7.2 shots on target per game in 2023-24.
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen19:05 , Mike Jones
Bayer Leverkusen have completed 6,622 passes in this season’s Uefa Europa League, the most by a side in one campaign since Sevilla in 2019-20 (6,971).
Their passing accuracy of 89.5% is the second best on record (behind Nice in 2017-18, 90%) while their ratio of 94.3% short passes is the highest by a team in a Europa League season.
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen19:00 , Mike Jones
Atalanta are looking to become the first Italian side to win the Uefa Europa League, with the trophy only ever being won by sides from Spain, Portugal, England or Germany previously.
The last Italian team to win the Uefa Cup was Parma in a 3-0 win over Marseille in 1999.
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen line-ups18:57 , Mike Jones
Atalanta XI: Musso; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Zappacosta, Ederson, Koopmeiners, Ruggeri; De Ketelaere. Scamacca, Lookman
Bayer Leverkusen XI: Kovar; Stanisic, Tah, Tapsoba; Frimpong, Xhaka, Palacios, Hincapie; Wirtz, Adli, Grimaldo
Alonso on how Leverkusen have remained unbeaten18:55 , Mike Jones
“I think it’s down to the consistency and our performance level, the mental level, our level of focus. In terms of our mentality and level of focus, the team has suffered virtually no disasters or a single bad moment during any game, and that has allowed us to have such an exceptional season.
“But everything has to be about performance and the mentality we are building.
“We have been competitive in every game whether we were playing well or poorly. We played well for the majority of the games, but we didn’t give up in the ones where we didn’t play well.
“That says a lot about the commitment of this team when it comes to preparing for every game. We didn’t take any game for granted, we prepared very well and that requires a lot of physical, footballing and mental effort too.”
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen18:51 , Mike Jones
(REUTERS)
(AFP via Getty Images)
(REUTERS)
Almost time for team news18:40 , Mike Jones
The line-ups for tonight’s Europa League final will be revealed shortly as build-up to the clash in Dublin continues. Will they be any major changes in personnel?
Seems unlikely.
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen18:35 , Mike Jones
Bayer Leverkusen are unbeaten in all 12 Uefa Europa League games this season (W9 D3) and are looking to become the fourth side to win the trophy unbeaten, along with Chelsea in 2018-19, Villarreal in 2020-21 and Eintracht Frankfurt in 2021-22, the latter two of which did so in a penalty shootout in the final.
Gasperini on reaching a first European final18:30 , Mike Jones
Gian Piero Gasperini has been a transformative figure for Atalanta over the last eight years and his reward is to coach his team in a first European final.
He said: “ It feels good. It’s a great achievement and source of satisfaction, achieved with a really good season from this whole team. Is it the highest point of my career?
“Yes, in terms of accomplishment and prestige, absolutely. In terms of gratification, fortunately I’ve had quite a few, although perhaps not on the same level.
“I don’t think winning a cup is necessarily always part of the parameters by which success is judged. Everyone has their own goals.
“When you manage to exceed them by far, as has happened at Atalanta, you still have to be very satisfied. If we also manage to add a cup, of course, we’ll be even more satisfied.”
Xabi Alonso on making the move from player to coach18:25 , Mike Jones
“When I was a player, I was very interested in the game, in the opposition, in the preparation, and wondering why things happened,” Alonso explained
“As a midfielder, it has helped me to develop and expand my knowledge of the game. I started coaching the Real Madrid Under-13s, then I spent three years coaching the Real Sociedad B team, which helped me a lot, and now I’m facing my first professional experience here at Leverkusen, which is currently going quite well.
“It’s very important to create both confidence and reliability, to bring the squad together, to develop a good day-to-day dynamic; all of this reinforces the players’ commitment to achieve our objectives.
“Then, of course, you have to convince each player and give them an idea they can commit to. You need to be close to your players to understand them because then you know how to demand more from them.
“They will make mistakes, but you can’t be telling them off all the time. You also need to be a great psychologist.”
18:20 , Mike Jones
This will be Atalanta’s first ever European final, becoming the 11th different Italian team to reach a final and first to do so for a first time since Lazio in the 1998 Uefa Cup (lost 3-0 to Inter).
This will be 60 years and 261 days since their first European game in September 1963, the longest wait for a side to play in their first a European final from their first game, a record which will be eclipsed in one week by Olympiakos (64 years, 259 days – 1959-2024).
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen18:15 , Mike Jones
Bayer Leverkusen have reached their third Uefa European final, also featuring in the two-legged 1988 Uefa Cup final against Espanyol (lost 0-3 first leg, won 3-0 second leg, won on pens) and 2002 Uefa Champions League final against Real Madrid (lost 2-1).
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen18:10 , Mike Jones
This is the eighth major European final between a German side and Italian side and first since the 2010 Uefa Champions League final, won 2-0 by Inter against Bayern Munich.
In the Uefa Cup/Europa League, it’s the first since 1997 when FC Schalke 04 were crowned champions over two legs against Inter via a penalty shootout.
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen18:05 , Mike Jones
Bayer Leverkusen have faced Atalanta twice in European competition, with the Italian side winning both legs of a 2021-22 Europa League last 16 tie.
Bayer have only faced Internazionale more often while losing every game in major European competition (three defeats in three games).
Asylum seekers moved on from makeshift camp at Dublin’s Grand Canal ahead of Europa League final18:00 , Mike Jones
Tents which have been pitched by asylum seekers along a stretch of the Grand Canal in Dublin have been removed.
Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said around 89 males who had been sleeping there are to be housed in various centres after being moved on Tuesday 21 May.
He also said that those sleeping in the area were not moved because of a high-profile football match. The Europa League final between Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen is to be held at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on Wednesday night.
Mr Ryan said the asylum seekers were moved as accommodation became available and not because of the sporting spectacle.
Alonso on motivation to succeed tonight17:55 , Mike Jones
The Bayer Leverkusen coach spoke yesterday about the Europa League final saying: “Losing in last season’s semi-final is a huge motivation; we have already spoken about how things felt last season. We were very close to the final.
“We have harnessed this disappointment to our benefit. When you go to the final you don’t go there to make up the numbers, you go to win it. We will try and make one last effort.
“Our focus has been preparing the game; we haven’t changed anything. We have played this year 51 games so we have talked so much and it’s great that the players have this understanding of the different situation of the preparations.
“Now the task is for us to win these next two games [for an unbeaten season].”
Alonso on Atalanta17:50 , Mike Jones
Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso said: “We know that for the last five years Atalanta have had a very clear identity under Gian Piero Gasperini.
“We are very familiar with the team but this is a team that continues to progress and evolve. We have played against similar teams in Germany but what matters above all tomorrow is mentality.
“We have a gamplan but the players still have that wonderful atmosphere from the title celebrations on Saturday and we want to tap into that.”
Gasperini on Leverkusen:17:45 , Mike Jones
“Leverkusen are a complete team; extremely organised. They are versatile, they can defend and recover the ball well. The results they have achieved this season are not an accident.
“Certainly, small details can make the difference in a final. We have to respect them and try to adapt quickly to the opponents we are facing.”
(EPA)
More from Atalanta’s head coach17:40 , Mike Jones
Gian Piero Gasperini spoke at his pre-match press conference yesterday saying: “We believe that we have prepared everything we had to prepare so we are just eager to play and we have to find the right level of calmness to spend the next 24 hours knowing that we have done everything we had to do.
“Gianlucca Scamacca has improved drastically in recent months, not only in terms of goals but also in terms of performances. We certainly missed him in the Coppa Italia final against Juventus. I’m glad we will have all our attackers available tomorrow.
“I think we are in the best possible condition in a psychological and physical sense. I’m very sad about Marten de Roon’s absence, first of all because he deserved to play in this game, and then because he is a key player for us. But I think we are in a very good condition otherwise.
“We are aware that we are facing a great team. We know that they are undefeated and we know that they have had an amazing season. Our journey, however, was also very good as we beat very strong teams to reach the final and we also have belief.”
‘Everyone taking notice of Atalanta’ says Shay Given17:35 , Mike Jones
Former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given says that Atalanta’s victory over Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the Europa League means they are a force to be reckoned with tonight.
He said: “Atalanta’s standout performance would definitely be Liverpool in the quarter-finals at Anfield. I was working that night for TV and the score kept popping up and I was thinking, ‘That can’t be right – they must have got it the wrong way round.’
“Everyone around Europe took notice of that result. Leverkusen will probably analyse that game a lot because they were so good on the night at Anfield and they could have scored more.”
17:30 , Mike Jones
Two former Arsenal stars have been having their say on tonight’s match with Robert Pirès, the famous ex-Arsenal and France midfielder picking out Granit Xhaka as one to watch.
He said: “Granit Xhaka is very important for Leverkusen; he has played very well and provides a good balance for the team. He has a lot of experience and that’s why Xabi Alonso wanted to get him from Arsenal.”
Xhaka of course joined the German side after leaving the Gunners last summer. This will be his second Europa League final, he lost his first on in 2019 when Arsenal were beaten 4-1 by Chelsea, and hopes to go one better tonight.
“You always get a second chance in life,” he said. “This time, I want to make the most of it.”
The Europa League trophy17:25 , Mike Jones
This is what the teams are battling for this evening.
The Europa League trophy stands at 65cm tall and weighs 15kg. A silver cup on a yellow marble plinth, it was designed and crafted by the Bertoni workshop in Milan.
Just above the plinth, a group of players seem to be jostling for the ball, when, in fact, they are supporting the octagonal ‘cup’ which is emblazoned with the Uefa emblem.
(EPA)
Xabi Alonso’s pre-match thoughts17:20 , Mike Jones
Leverkusen coach, Xabi Alonso, said: “We are very familiar with [Atalanta] but this is a team that continues to progress and evolve. We have played against similar teams in Germany but what matters above all tomorrow is mentality.
“We have a gameplan but the players still have that wonderful atmosphere from the title celebrations on Saturday and we want to tap into that.
“It’s a different thing to have a final as a player and as a coach. Now it’s like this: when the ball is rolling, it’s time for the players. But I have great confidence in my team. They will do it.”
Pre-match thoughts from Gian Piero Gasperini17:15 , Mike Jones
Atalanta coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, spoke in the build up to the final and gave his thoughts on what he is expecting from the game saying: “We believe that we have prepared everything we had to prepare so we are just eager to play. We are in the best possible condition in a psychological and physical sense.
“We are aware that we are facing a great team. We know that Leverkusen are unbeaten and we know that they have had an amazing season.
“The results they have achieved this season are not an accident. Certainly, small details can make the difference in a final. We have to respect them and try to adapt quickly to the opponents we are facing.”
How Xabi Alonso brought Bayer Leverkusen to the edge of perfection17:10 , Mike Jones
As Xabi Alonso arrived into Dublin, he was of course asked whether it was good to be back. The Bayer Leverkusen manager came to Ireland for a summer when 14 years old to learn English, and it only fosters the sense of a figure coming full circle. There’s a personal history here, and there could well be a football history through a series of doubles. Alonso may ensure an unbeaten European campaign in Wednesday’s Europa League final, against Atalanta, to go with an unbeaten league campaign. There’s still Saturday’s DFB-Pokal final to come, and that is against second-tier side Kaiserslautern. The Basque is so close to an unprecedented unbeaten treble, and what would be one of the great football achievements.
It should be stressed he has already done something alchemic, arguably up there with Sir Alex Ferguson’s first Scottish title with Aberdeen and maybe Jose Mourinho’s Champions League with FC Porto. It is not just denying Bayern Munich the Bundesliga title for the first time since 2012, and that after the perpetual champions spent over €100m on players such as Harry Kane. It is doing it with a club that had only claimed one major trophy in their history, and been branded as perpetual losers. This wasn’t supposed to be possible in modern football. It’s not like this team has just played the percentages or strived to get there through some freak campaign, either. The invincible season speaks to the emphatic nature, the emotion of it all amplified by so many late comebacks and winners. It is vintage stuff.
How Xabi Alonso brought Bayer Leverkusen to the edge of perfection
Atalanta and Leverkusen have history17:05 , Mike Jones
This is not the first Europa League meeting between Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen.
Back in the 2021/22 round of 16, Gian Piero Gasperini’s Italian side defeated a Werkself team coached by Gerardo Seoane. They won the first leg 3-2 at before clinching a tight contest 1-0 at the BayArena to reach the quarter-final stage.
Will Atalanta be on the winning side again tonight?
More from referee Istvan Kovacs17:00 , Mike Jones
“I like the adrenaline when I am on the field; it is one of the best things about being a referee,” he explained when asked about his thoughts on taking charge of tonight’s game,
“If I take good decisions during the game, I am proving to myself that I can handle these big matches. I love football. For me, being a referee is the most beautiful job in the world and I recommend that youngsters come and embrace this opportunity.
“During my career, I have made a lot of connections, built good relationships with my colleagues and have enjoyed visiting many different countries through my work.
“The Europa League final will be a proud moment for me but also for the team alongside me and more broadly, Romanian football. I owe a lot of people at home a big ‘thank you’ for the success I have had in my career.
“Many people have helped me with good advice or support when I have had difficult times. The chairman of the referees committee in Romania, Kyros Vassaras, has helped to improve a lot of things in the domestic game for us, and there is one person who has been next to me since I started – István Szilágyi – and I thank him in particular because he has always supported me.”
He added: “I don’t change anything in the way I prepare for matches. I do the same thing whether it is a European final or a Romanian league match, and this helps to ensure I am fully focused. Once the game is finished, we can reflect and enjoy the occasion.”
16:55 , Mike Jones
The referee for tonight’s match is Romanian Istvan Kovacs and this is the third consecutive season he has been on duty at a Uefa club final.
He took charge of the inaugural Europa Conference League showpiece in Tirana in 2022 and was the fourth official at the Champions League decider between Manchester City and Inter Milan in Istanbul last June.
“This will be my second Uefa final as a referee, and it really is a dream come true,” said the 39-year-old. “To have refereed the Europa Conference League final in 2022 is of course helpful for this occasion.
“I still remember the feelings and the experience from that night, but I still need to work and prepare well for the match to make sure everything goes well on the night. It’s a big responsibility to be appointed for this match and I want to prove I am ready for this challenge.”
Europa League final LIVE16:50 , Mike Jones
Fans have been flocking to Ireland ahead of this huge match with Dublin playing host to the Europa League final. Here are a few shots of supporters enjoying themselves ahead of kick off.
(Niall Carson/PA Wire)
(Brian Lawless/PA Wire)
(Niall Carson/PA Wire)
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen prediction16:45 , Mike Jones
The bookmakers have the newly crowned German champions as huge favourites to win this evening and it is difficult to look past Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen. They’ve been the stars of European football this season and probably deserve to lift the Europa League but Atalanta cannot be discounted.
A relatively decent campaign in Serie A has been complimented nicely with a competent and controlled run through the Europa League knockout rounds. The Italian side looked a class above in their semi-final first leg against Marseille and with some confidence behind them could cause Leverkusen some trouble in this one-off encounter.
That said, Bayer Leverkusen are unbeaten for a reason this year and it looks likely that they will go on to make history with another victory tonight.
Atalanta 1-2 Bayer Leverkusen
Predicted line-ups and latest odds16:40 , Mike Jones
Here’s a look at how we think the two teams will line-up this evening:
Atalanta XI: Musso; Toloi, Hien, Djimsiti; Zappacosta, Koopmeiners, Ederson, Ruggeri; De Ketelaere, Lookman; Scamacca.
Bayer Leverkusen XI: Hradecky; Kossounou, Tah, Tapsoba; Frimpong, Xhaka, Andrich, Grimaldo; Adil, Wirtz; Boniface.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given their incredible season so far Bayer Leverkusen are the overwhelming favourites to win the trophy tonight. Here are the latest odds for the Europa League final:
Atalanta win - 16/5
Draw - 27/10
Bayer Leverkusen win - 4/5
Early team news16:35 , Mike Jones
Atalanta midfielder Marten de Roon has confirmed that he will miss the final due to the knee injury he suffered in the Coppa Italia defeat to Juventus. Sead Kolasinac has been absent with a thigh issue of late.
Florian Wirtz has been managed carefully by Alonso over the last few weeks amidst a busy schedule but should be fit to start for Bayer Leverkusen.
How to watch Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen16:30 , Mike Jones
The Europa League final is due to kick off at 8pm BST at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage on the channel from 7pm BST. A livestream will be available via discovery+, with both this fixture and the Champions League final being made available to non-subscribers.
You can purchase a TNT Sports subscription via discovery+ here, for only £30.99 per month.
Good evening!15:37 , Mike Jones
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s Europa League final which sees Atalanta take on Bayer Leverkusen to decide which team will lift the trophy in Uefa’s second tier European competition.
The route to the final has been tricky for both sides but they have proven themselves to be strong competitors and have earned their place in this showpiece match at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.
We’ll have all the latest team news, line-ups and updates throughout the evening so stick with us as we build up to kick off at 8pm.
