UEFA preview: Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen 2023-24
Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen last met in March 2022. The event was a 1-0 victory for Atalanta. However, the dynamics have changed in the ongoing UEFA season. Atalanta is less likely to steal a win. They only have a chance of finding the back of the net once. Bayer, on the other hand, could bag a triple score. Most of it can be attributed to three injuries in the Atalanta squad.
Emil Holm, Marten de Roon, and Sead Kolasinac could miss out on the next game at Aviva Stadium. There are no reported injuries in Bayer Leverkusen.
The previous 5-game record of both sides is more or less the same, except Atalanta has lost one game while Bayer has drawn one game, not losing it. The other four games ended in a victory for both of them. So, momentum backs both sides; it could eventually come down to players without which Atalanta will enter the ground. Some of the best football betting sites have their odds tilted toward Leverkusen.It goes without saying that this is not advice, and as in all sports, football odds are subject to change.
Atalanta is the only team to have a player, Gianluca Scamacca, among the top six goal scorers. He holds the 4th position on the table with 6 goals to his name, sharing the spot with Joao Pedro from Brighton and Juninho from Qarabag FK.
During group matches, Atalanta and Bayer finished at the top of their respective tables.
Atalanta last met Marseille in the tournament. The team maintained a 4-1 aggregate by ending the semi-final leg with a 3-0 win. Ademola, Matteo, and El Bilal were the only scorers in the event. The second half yielded two of the three goals, while the third goal came in extra time after the usual 90-minute run. The first leg of the series was a 1-1 draw, with both goals coming in the first 22 minutes of the game.
Leverkusen had a 4-2 aggregate in the semis against Roma. The first leg ended with a tally of 2-0 against Roma, and the second leg ended with a tally of two goals each. A goal in the 82nd minute was a lucky one for Leverkusen because it was an OG by Gianluca.
Atalanta is expected to take a formation of 3-4-3 in response to a similar formation by Bayer Leverkusen. The total number of goals can go up to 4, with the winner taking home 3 goals and the title. This is for Bayer; Atalanta could be restricted to a single goal and the title of first runner-up.
This marks Atalanta’s first-ever European final and Bayer’s third UEFA European Final. One side will be nervous, and the other side will be looking to have a lasting impact. In the end, it is going to be a great game that crowns the best team.