Europa League 2024 final: Pics from Atalanta historic win over Leverkusen
Ademola Lookman scored a historic hat-trick to help Atalanta beat Bayer Leverkusen by 3-0 in the UEFA Europa League final in Dublin to win their first-ever Europa League. Here are some pictures from the celebration.
2024/25 Europa League : Changes and teams to watch
The Europa League resumes again after a break but there are changes to the current structure already in place. With an increased number of matches and more teams added to the competition, we discuss the teams to look out for and more in this article.
The UEFA Europa League is back in action tonight. This is going to be the 54th season of the club competition. With fewer chances for teams to drop into the Conference League, the stakes are higher than ever for teams to perform well in this new format.
Expanded Format
In the same vein as the Champions League, the Europa League will feature a 36-team system that will be a single-format group stage each team is expected to play 8 matches against 8 different teams in the group stage, 4 at home and 4 away from home.
The top 8 teams will automatically qualify for the round of 16 while the teams that place from 9th to 24th will compete in a playoff round to determine the remaining 8 teams that will feature in the round of 16.
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Impact on Clubs
The 2024/25 Europa League format brings many positives for European football, including increased competition, inclusivity, sports tourism through traveling fans, and higher earnings for participating clubs. While these developments seem promising for the sport's growth in Europe, there are also downsides. Clubs face congested schedules with numerous matches, leading to player fatigue and increased injury risks. Additionally, the short turnaround time between games hinders proper preparation, potentially affecting the overall quality of football on display. These challenges could limit the opportunity for fans to witness thrilling performances in this prestigious club competition.
Teams to Watch Out For
Several prestigious clubs will feature in this season's Europa League we will cast the spotlight on some teams that can go ahead to win the title.
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Manchester United
Though failing to qualify for the Champions League England's biggest club would not be out of Europe's club competition this season. having won the Europa League in 2017 under Jose Mourinho they also emerged as runner-up in 2021 losing on penalty shootouts to Sevilla the club is no stranger to this competition and they definitely will be looking to add European Silverware under their manager Erik Ten Haag.
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Porto
Porto is a formidable force in European club football, typically competing as regulars in the Champions League. However, this season sees them in the Europa League. Despite their last trophy in the competition dating back to 2011, they remain a team to be reckoned with. Their experience and tactical strength make them one of the toughest opponents on the continent, capable of mounting a serious challenge in any European club competition.
Tottenham Hotspur
The English Club last came close to winning silverware on the continent in 2019 losing the Champions League final to a fellow English side Liverpool. Noticeable improvements in terms of recruitment and playing style under Ange Postecoglou have seen the club come back stronger it remains to be seen whether that will be enough to bring the first major title to the North London club since their League Cup triumph in 2008
Ajax
One of the top teams in Europe's footballing history. Ajax will forever remain famous for their 1995 Champions League win against Milan. they narrowly missed out on the Champions League final in 2019 losing out to Tottenham. With the team slowly finding form they will be strong contenders for the title.
Records created in Atalanta vs Leverkusen Europa League 2024 final
Europa League 2024 final: Pics from Atalanta's historic win over Leverkusen
Ademola Lookman scored a historic hat-trick to help Atalanta beat Bayer Leverkusen by 3-0 in the UEFA Europa League final in Dublin to win their first-ever Europa League. Here are some pictures from the celebration.
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen Europa League 2023-24 Final Highlights | Ademola Lookman's historic hat-trick takes Atalanta into history books
Ademola Lookman scored a historic hat-trick to help Atalanta beat Bayer Leverkusen by 3-0 in the UEFA Europa League final in Dublin to win their first-ever Europa League.
Atalanta B.C defeated Bayer Leverkusen by 3-0 in the UEFA Europa League 2023-24 final to clinch their first-ever Europa League title. This is their first major trophy since 1963 as Ademola Lookman became the first-ever player to score a hat-trick in UEFA Europa League final.
This means it is now an end to Xabi Alonso's 51-match unbeaten run in the 2023-24 season. Moreover, their dream of a European Treble is now over as well.
With this Europa League title, Gian Piero Gasperini has become the ninth different Italian coach to have won the UEFA Cup or Europa League. Moreover, at 66 years and 117 days, he's also the oldest winning coach of all in the Europa League era, beating Josรฉ Luis Mendilibar (who was 62 years and 78 days old when he won the tournament with Sevilla last season).
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Read the highlights of Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen Europa League 2023-24 Final match from our LIVE Blog below.
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Borussia Dortmund defeated PSG by 1-0 in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League 2023-24 semi-final in Dortmund. Niclas Fullkurg scored the lone goal for Dortmund.
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