Since Parma's 3-0 victory over Marseille in 1999, no Serie A team has won this competition—a drought Atalanta hopes to end. On the other hand, Bayer Leverkusen aims to achieve an impressive feat: winning the treble while remaining unbeaten, provided they also win against Kaiserslautern on Saturday. In the lead-up to this final, we won't dive too deeply into this final. Instead, let's look back at previous finals to see what patterns and trends might inform our betting decisions for Wednesday's final in Dublin. **“Both Teams To Score” In the Europa League Finals** The Europa League final has been far more goal-friendly compared to the Champions League final in recent years. While the last 5 Champions League finals all featured clean sheets, none of the last 5 Europa League finals did. In fact, there has only been three clean sheets in the Europa League final over the past decade, as Both Teams To Score continues to be a rewarding option in this fixture. With Bayer Leverkusen and Atalanta, two strong attacking teams, set to clash in Dublin, this trend is likely to continue. This match could also influence the next African Player of the Year award, with Nigeria's Victor Boniface and Ademola Lookman facing off. Despite missing two months due to injury, Boniface has 31 goal contributions in 33 games as he leads Leverkusen’s charge for a treble. Lookman, who played a key role in the Nigeria national football team reaching the AFCON 2023 final, has been instrumental in Atalanta's European run. He’s coming into this game with confidence after scoring in the semi-final against Marseille, hoping for better luck in this final.
**Penalty Shootouts in Europa League Finals** The last 3 Europa League finals have all ended in penalty shootouts, each following a 1-1 draw after extra time. This marks the first time in European finals history that we've seen 3 consecutive shootouts in a competition. The betting odds for this trend continuing are quite tempting. The odds for a 1-1 scoreline after 90 minutes is set at 7.30, and the odds for the match going into extra time, regardless of the score, are at 3.70. These are great odds for our online betting community to consider, as it provides the best value for money.
**Lots of Corner-kicks** Corner-kicks are a popular market for our community members, so it's important to approach this with caution. Here's a breakdown of the corner-kick totals over the last 5 Europa League finals:
These figures show just how rewarding it has been to lean towards lots of corners as this fixture has featured double-digit corner totals in that 5-year span, with the 2020 final between Sevilla and Inter being an exception with just 3 corners. Based on this pattern, one of our betting tips today is to lean towards a game with lots of corners, and we have the best odds for that.
**Low Total Bookings Expected** These two teams have shown good discipline throughout the competition, with neither receiving a red card. Atalanta averages just 2.0 yellow cards per game, while Bayer Leverkusen averages 1.67. Referees typically avoid giving out too many cards in finals to maintain the game's intensity. For instance, the 2019 and 2022 finals each had only 2 yellow cards, while the 2020 and 2021 finals had 6 and 4 total bookings, respectively. The exception was last year's final between Sevilla and AS Roma, which saw a whopping 14 total bookings—a stat that makes sense considering Jose Mourinho was coaching one of those teams. In fact, back in 2003, when Mourinho led FC Porto to victory over Celtic, that final saw 10 yellow cards. With this in mind, we suggest betting on the under for Total Bookings for each team while also leaning on the second half to produce more cards.
**Shots on Target… Lots of Them** We've already discussed our expectation that both teams will score, making the Over 1.5 Goals market a strong bet, and noted that history suggests this match will have plenty of corners. With our Bet Builder feature, you can combine these insights with a high number of expected shots on target for a potentially lucrative bet. Bayer Leverkusen have reached the final with a bold attacking approach, leading the competition with 234 total attempts and averaging 7.0 shots on target per game in their 12 Europa League matches. Atalanta, while not quite as prolific, still rank 6th with 160 total attempts and 5.3 shots on target per game. This suggests both teams are likely to keep the goalkeepers busy, reinforcing the bet on a high number of shots on target. By combining these elements—Over 1.5 goals, a high number of corners, and plenty of shots on target—we have a ready-made well-rounded and promising bet.
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