Why Atalanta will be the first team to beat Bayer Leverkusen this season

Football fans can't wait for Wednesday 22 May, when Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen go head-to-head for the Europa League title. The Germans seem to be the favourites, but we think Atalanta will win the first European trophy in their history. This is why.

Atalanta will arrive at Dublin's Aviva Stadium in good form, having lost just once in their last nine matches, according to Transfermarkt. Of those nine games, they have won seven.

Defensively solid, Atalanta play attacking football and have some excellent offensive weapons at their disposal. Leverkusen will have to be wary of Gianluca Scamacca and Charles De Ketelaere, scorers of 18 and 14 goals respectively this season, per Transfermarkt.

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On paper, Leverkusen look the stronger of the two teams, but so did Liverpool in the quarter-finals. However, Atlanta easily got the better of Jurgen Klopp's team, leaving the German with only the League Cup in his final season at Anfield.

Atalanta impressed at Anfield, winning 0-3 and silencing the Liverpool fans, before controlling things and finishing the job in Lombardy, losing 0-1.

Alongside Scamacca and De Ketelaere, coach Gian Piero Gasperini could well be Atalanta's biggest weapon. Since taking charge in June 2016, according to Transfermarkt, the Italian has put Atalanta on the footballing map, both in Italy and Europe.

Gasperini has introduced a high-energy, high-pressure style of football to Atalanta that should cause Leverkusen a few problems.

Atalanta will be playing in their second final this season, having also qualified for the Coppa Italia final against Juventus.

The Cup final proved disappointing for La Dea, with Juve winning 0–1 thanks to a Dusan Vlahovic goal. We believe that this defeat will only be a source of extra motivation for Atalanta, who will be doing everything in their power against Leverkusen to win their first trophy in 61 years, according to France 24.

Leverkusen have had a brilliant season so far, winning the Bundesliga title without losing a game and reaching the DFB-Pokal final. On several occasions, however, Xabi Alonso and his team have managed to avoid defeat at the death, coming close to losing their perfect record. The Schwarzroten's luck could well be run out, leading to their first defeat of the season against Atalanta.

We think once Atalanta take the lead, the Italians will not give it away and seal the deal on the counter-attack, to take their first major trophy since 1963. What do you think?

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