Bayer Leverkusen is too strong but Atalanta is not easy to play!
At the end of the 2001-2002 season, Bayer Leverkusen were nicknamed "Neverkusen" after 11 miserable days - finishing as runners-up in the Bundesliga, Champions League and German Cup. 22 years later, Bayer Leverkusen coached by Xabi Alonso once again have the chance to achieve a historic treble. A 2-1 victory over Augsburg (18.5) helped them win the Bundesliga championship with an unbeaten record. In the whole of Europe, only Arsenal (England, 2003-2004 season) and Juventus (Italy, 2011-2012 season) have achieved a similar feat in the 21st century. This week, the German representative will travel to Dublin (Ireland) to play in the Europa League final before meeting Kaiserslautern in the German Cup (25.5). The goal of coach Xabi Alonso and his students is certainly only one: to become the winner!
Bayern Leverkusen on the verge of historic treble
To reach their third European final, Bayer Leverkusen have an impressive record of 9 wins and 3 draws. Coach Xabi Alonso is taking Germany and Europe by storm with his modern, possession-based brand of football. "Die Werkself" have completed 6,622 successful passes in the Europa League this season, more than any other team. Their passing accuracy is 89.5%, the second highest in history (after Nice in the 2017-2018 season, 90%). The German representative's short passing success rate is up to 94.3%, an achievement recorded as the best in the history of the tournament.
However, even when not in control of the ball, Bayer Leverkusen still found a way to "finish" the match. The proof was in the second leg of the semi-final against AS Roma, Bayer Leverkusen played poorly and wasted a 2-goal lead after the first leg in just 45 minutes of play. Despite being under a lot of pressure from AS Roma afterwards, coach Xabi Alonso's changes in the second half helped Bayer Leverkusen score a goal to reduce the score to 1-2. Then, Josip Stanisic equalized in the 97th minute, sealing a 4-2 victory after 2 matches for Bayer Leverkusen. This was Bayer Leverkusen's 6th goal in extra time in the Europa League this season.
But if Bayer Leverkusen is too strong, Atalanta is not easy to play. The match at Aviva Stadium is the first time in Atalanta's history to participate in a European final. However, in the quarterfinals, the Italian representative eliminated the number 1 candidate, Liverpool, from the game. Atalanta also has a talented squad, promising to become a huge challenge, making Bayer Leverkusen regret in the final match of the Europa League this season.
Direct attacking play is gradually returning to Atalanta in the 2023-2024 season and "La Dea" is one of the strongest teams in Italy. In addition, Atalanta's defense is also extremely well organized, facing an average of only 2.8 shots on target per game, which is the lowest rate in the Europa League in the 2023-2024 season.
The "battle" of the new coach is the focus
At the final stage of this season's Europa League, all eyes will be on Scamacca, who scored excellent goals against Liverpool and Marseille in the last two rounds. Meanwhile, Florian Wirtz - the Bundesliga's best player, who has 4 goals and 4 assists in the Europa League this season for Bayer Leverkusen - is also in the spotlight.
However, the "battle" between coach Xabi Alonso and coach Gasperini is the focus. At 66 years and 117 days, coach Gasperini will become the oldest coach to take charge of a team in the Europa League final. His counterpart, coach Xabi Alonso - at 42 years and 179 days, will also be the youngest coach to reach a European final. Both coaches Xabi Alonso and Gasperini love modern attacking football and a "sumptuous, uncompromising party" is just ahead.
According to statistics from Opta, Bayer Leverkusen is the better team with a 50.2% chance of winning in 90 minutes. However, Atalanta cannot be underestimated because they have won 7 out of the last 9 matches. The Italian representative is rated with a 24.4% chance of winning in 90 minutes and if the match goes into extra time, or further into a penalty shootout, any surprise can happen.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chung-ket-europa-league-lich-su-cho-atalanta-lan-bayer-leverkusen-185240521223627282.htm
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