The eyes of the footballing world are preparing to fixate on the banks of the Liffey on Wednesday, as Atalanta go head-to-head with Bayer Leverkusen in a bid to secure the UEFA Europa League trophy.
The Aviva Stadium, rebranded as the Dublin Arena due to UEFA’s stringent rules on sponsorship arrangements, will host this clash of two European titans – with the German side looking to extend their staggering unbeaten run to 52 games.
Embed from Getty ImagesThere is an unshakeable air of confidence that stems from the Leverkusen camp, and when Jonathan Tah joined Xabi Alonso for the pre-match press conference on Tuesday, he expressed that the team “know that we can make this season more special than it’s already been thus far.”
With Leverkusen’s high-profile domestic dominance stealing the headlines ahead of kickoff in Dublin, their unbeaten streak is on the line and captain Granit Xhaka shut down a question from a journalist when it was suggested that die Werkself have nothing to lose in the Irish capital.
“I do actually think we have something to lose, absolutely,” the Swiss midfielder commented. “You go into finals to try and win them. Our primary goal was to win the Bundesliga, our second target is tomorrow night and we’ll do everything in our power to try and make sure we come back to Leverkusen with the Europa League.”
For Atalanta, there is no room for sentimentality. Marten de Roon will not feature in Wednesday’s trophy decider after picking up an injury during the Coppa Italia final last week, but the Dutchman expressed: “I don’t want to say they have any shortcomings, but every team is beatable. They seem invincible… but maybe we can change things.”
The key players
Marten de Roon was heralded by Gian Piero Gasperini in the pre-match press conferences on Tuesday, but with his injury ruling him out of contention, FromTheSpot has instead opted to highlight Teun Koopmeiners as the key player for Atalanta in this 2023/24 UEFA Europa League final.
Embed from Getty ImagesArne Slot is reportedly keen on reuniting with the player at Anfield next season, having coached the youngster during his breakout season half a decade ago – and that says all you need to know about his quality.
With the eye for a long-range precision pass and the positional nous to pop up and slot home for a few goals of his own too, Koopmeiners is perhaps the one player that Bayer Leverkusen simply cannot afford to take their eyes off of.
Elsewhere, Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong is an exciting talent that could play a crucial role for die Werkself on Wednesday. Formerly of Manchester City’s youth academy and having spent more than half of his life in the United Kingdom, the Dutch international wing-back has been praised by former coaches for “the quality of his play, the pace of his play, [and] the end product.”
Embed from Getty ImagesThe 23-year-old is the real deal, and has earned himself a place in Ronald Koeman’s preliminary squad ahead of EURO2024. His blistering pace is undoubtedly a threat that the Atalanta defence must be aware of – and as Neil Lennon pointed out, his end product is capable of doing considerable damage too.
What did the managers say?
In his pre-match press conference on Tuesday evening, Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso stressed that his side’s preparations have been ongoing throughout the season.
Gian Piero Gasperini added that his Atalanta side will miss the services of Marten de Roon in the midfield but insisted that they have “prepared absolutely everything” ahead of kickoff in Dublin.
When does the match kick off?
Kickoff for the 2023/24 UEFA Europa League final between Atalanta BC and Bayer Leverkusen at Dublin Arena is scheduled for 20:00 local time, or 21:00 CEST, on Wednesday 22 May 2024.
How can I watch the UEFA Europa League final?
The 2023/24 UEFA Europa League final will be broadcast on Virgin Two within the Republic of Ireland.
For fans based in the United Kingdom, the match will be exclusively available to watch on TNT Sports 1.
For all other countries and territories, a full list of streaming providers can be found on the UEFA website by clicking this link.
FromTheSpot will also provide extensive coverage of the buildup and the match itself on FromTheSpot.co.uk and our X account.