In this UEFA Europa League Final corner you have Atalanta- the side that knocked out Liverpool FC, who had been the tournament favorite and was then playing with potential quadruple form. And in this corner, you have the juggernaut that is Bayer Leverkusen, who are undefeated in their last 51 matches.
Leverkusen are a team of destiny right now, so Atalanta will really have their work cut out for them here.
UEFA Europa League Final FYIs
Kickoff: Wed May 22, 8pm, Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
Preview Content: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Series History: Atalanta wins 1, Bayer Leverkusen wins 0, Draws 0
Fun Fact: Bayern Leverkusen are looking to become just the fourth side to win the UEL in undefeated fashion.
Team News for Both Sides
Let’s preview this cup clash on the banks of the River Liffey! We start with Atalanta, where Marten de Roon and Emil Holm are out injured. Sead Kolasinac (thigh) is a doubt after missing the past three weeks.
Shifting gears to Leverkusen, Florian Wirtz (thigh) could be in contention to go the full 90 here, after getting himself match enough to feature off the bench for a half hour in the win over Augsburg this past weekend.
Kolasinac isn’t the only ex-Arsenal man who is a part of the team news situation here: Granit Xhaka began the last game on the bench, but he could be in the first XI here.
Ditto for Piero Hincapie. So now let’s see who gets their hands on continental competition’s second most coveted trophy.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.