Tom Hill’s offers his tips for Wednesday’s Europa League finale at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
Bayer Leverkusen will look to continue their sublime unbeaten run when they take on Atalanta in the Europa League final in Dublin on Wednesday evening.
Xabi Alonso’s side made history on Saturday as they became the first Bundesliga team in history to finish a league season unbeaten.
Leverkusen wrapped up the league title last month, but their 2-1 win over Augsburg ensured they finished the season without a single defeat on their record.
Alonso’s men are now unbeaten in 51 games and another two wins would secure an unprecedented treble, with Leverkusen also through to the DFB-Pokal final, where they will face second-tier Kaiserslautern.
While Atalanta’s campaign has not been as amazing, they are fifth in the standings in Serie A and still have a chance of finishing in the top three in the table.
Selections
Bayer Leverkusen to win
4/5
Over 2.5 goals
17/20
Victor Boniface to score anytime
13/8
Alonso’s men to march on
Bayer Leverkusen’s current campaign will go down in history, but they could still add to their incredible record this season by winning their second trophy of the season.
Alonso’s men ended the year with 89 goals to their name, winning 28 of their 34 matches.
While Leverkusen have continued to find a way, Atalanta lost the Coppa Italia final 1-0 to Juventus last week.
Wednesday’s final should be a close and intense battle, but the sensible bet should be to favour Leverkusen. They have yet to show any signs of weakness and that should continue in Dublin.
Atalanta to go down swinging
While Atalanta should fall short, there’s every chance they can contribute to the scoresheet.
Both teams to score has been a winning bet in six of Leverkusen’s last eight matches, and they face an Atalanta side who have scored at least two goals in seven of their previous 10.
Leverkusen have scored 10 in their last two games away from home and, if they travel to Dublin in the same mood, they should continue to put Atalanta under pressure.
Boniface to maintain current form
Nigeria international Victor Boniface has been a mainstay in the Leverkusen attack this season and he has rewarded Alonso with 14 goals in the league.
The 23-year-old has scored those goals from just 23 appearances and he will go into Wednesday’s final in good form.
Boniface has scored three goals in four games in all competitions and Atalanta will do well to keep him quiet.
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