SlipsTips examines the Bet Builder market ahead of Wednesday's Europa League final between Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen.
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen (Wednesday, 20:00)
Both Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen will be bidding for Europa League glory when the duo do battle in this year's showpiece at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Wednesday night.
Bundesliga champions Leverkusen are looking to complete the second leg of an invincible treble, while Atalanta are aiming to lift silverware for the first time since 1963.
Xabi Alonso's side will have their backers at 4/5 (Bet 365) to get the job done inside 90 minutes, but, as ever, I’ve put together a Bet Builder for Wednesday night’s final.
Combining Bayer Leverkusen to score alongside Granit Xhaka and Ederson each to commit a foul will bring about an attractive 11/10 shot on Bet 365.
Bayer Leverkusen are in the midst of a remarkable 51-game unbeaten run across all competitions this season, failing to score just once during that season-long stretch of games.
In fact, Die Werkself have netted in each of their 12 Europa League outings this term, racking up a combined total of 31 strikes en-route to this year’s end of season spectacle.
While Atalanta showed against Liverpool that they should not be underestimated, the Bergamo-based outfit’s backline has been breached in seven of their 12 Europa League outings this season, so it’s hard to see them shutting out the Bayer Leverkusen juggernaut.
With that in mind, I’ll back the Bundesliga kings to make the net bulge in regulation time, but to boost the odds, I’ll also go with their midfield warrior Granit Xhaka to commit a minimum of one foul.
The former Arsenal man has never been one to shy away from a tackle and he is bound to be in the thick of the action in the Irish capital.
Xhaka averaged a shade under one foul per-game in the Bundesliga this season, not to mention he has given away at least one-free-kick in three of Leverkusen's last four continental clashes away from their BayArena base.
Meanwhile, Atalanta’s Éderson – who is averaging 1.2 fouls per 90 in this season’s Europa League- is likely to be operating in the same area of the midfield battleground as the aforementioned Xhaka.
The Brazilian ace, who clocked up a combined total of four fouls across Atalanta's two semi-final ties with Marseille, is a powerful presence in La Dea’s engine room, and he is likely going to be tasked with limiting the effect of Bundesliga player of the season Florain Wirtz.
Recommended Bet
- Bayer Leverkusen Over 0.5 Goals
- Granit Xhaka Over 0.5 Fouls Committed
- Ederson Over 0.5 Fouls Committed
- Bet Builder – 11/10 (Bet 365)
Freelance Sports Writer and Betting Analyst with over five years experience. I’ve written football and darts betting content for some of the biggest betting websites and newspapers in the UK. With a strong passion for the fascinating world of Scottish football, I also regularly feature in Nutmeg, the much-loved Scottish football magazine. Falkirk season ticket holder and avid watcher of football and darts, whether it be UK-based or further afield. Feel free to follow me on X @SlipsTips
What kind of bet builder is that. Disgrace.