All eyes are on the Dublin Arena in Ireland as it hosts the 2023/24 Uefa Europa League final between European final debutants Atalanta and newly-crowned Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday. Catch the action live on SuperSport at 9pm CAT.
Atalanta had never been past the quarterfinals in Europe prior to this season and were not involved in Uefa competition in 2022/23 following an eighth-place finish in Serie A.This is also Leverkusen's first Europa League final, although they did win the Uefa Cup in 1988, beating Spanish side Espanyol despite losing the away first leg 3-0. Three goals in 24 second-half minutes brought them back level in the home return before a 3-2 success in a penalty shoot-out.
Last season was Atalanta's first without European football in five years after they had finished eighth in Serie A in 2021/22, although they subsequently earned just their second appearance in the Europa League group stage after ending the 2022/23 campaign fifth in the Italian top flight. Atalanta entered the following season's Europa League in the second qualifying round, beating Sarajevo 10-2 on aggregate and defeating Hapoel Haifa 6-1 in the third qualifying round before losing 4-2 on penalties to Copenhagen after two goalless draws in the qualifying play-offs.Gasperini's side have only failed to score in two of their last 25 European matches.
The 1988 Uefa Cup winners qualified for this season's group stage following a sixth-place Bundesliga finish, edging out 2021/22 Europa League winners Frankfurt on goal difference.Leverkusen have scored 31 goals in their 12 Europa League matches this season; their highest total in a single campaign in Uefa competition is 32, in the 2001/02 Champions League.
Eintracht Frankfurt's success in 2022 was a German club's first appearance in the Europa League final. Three penalties have been awarded in the Europa League final, all successfully converted – by Óscar Cardozo for Benfica against Chelsea in 2013, Eden Hazard for Chelsea against Arsenal in 2019, and Lukaku for Inter against Sevilla in 2020.
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