Bayer Leverkusen’s chances in Wednesday’s Europa League final clash with Atalanta in Dublin have been boosted by the return of star midfielder Florian Wirtz to full fitness. A crucial component of their maiden Bundesliga title bid, Wirtz has had to settle for a bit part role in recent weeks as coach Xabi Alonso, with games like this in mind, wrapped the 21-year-old in cotton wool. With Wirtz forced to play through the pain of a muscle injury to his leg, Alonso has used the midfielder sparingly. Wirtz has not played a full 90 minutes since Leverkusen’s Europa League quarter-final win over West Ham on April 11, nine games ago, but has still made an impact. He came off the bench at half-time and scored a hat-trick as Leverkusen beat Werder Bremen 5-0 to secure the title in mid-April. 

In his next two league games, Wirtz laid on equalisers deep in stoppage time against Borussia Dortmund and Stuttgart which kept their unbeaten run alive.   

Even with a team firing on all cylinders amid a 51-game unbeaten run in all competitions dating back to May 2023, Alonso knows Wirtz offers something unique. 

While the club now boasts a squad the envy of many in Europe, Wirtz remains the club’s only true superstar.

Wirtz turned 21 in May and has 18 goals and 20 assists in all competitions this season. 

Born just 20 minutes away in the village of Pulheim, his performances have him earmarked for future Ballon d’Or honours, with some in the German media suggesting he may be an outside chance this year should Germany go far at the Euros. 

The coach, who has repeatedly preached patience as Leverkusen have continued their rampage this season, has taken risks with Wirtz despite his injury. 

Alonso admitted he had tried to rest Wirtz in the second leg of Leverkusen’s Europa League semi-final against Roma, but brought him off the bench with nine minutes remaining and Leverkusen trailing 2-0, level 2-2 on aggregate. 

The hosts scored a minute later to take the lead in the tie and added a second in stoppage time to stretch their unbeaten streak to 49 games, breaking a 59-year-old European record in the process. 

“He couldn’t run well, he was limping, but he wanted to help the team,” Alonso said afterwards. 

“He’s still a pretty good player when he’s 70 percent fit,” Alonso said. “But he still needs a bit more time.”

Wirtz missed the next two league games and returned on Saturday, with Alonso saying beforehand “he feels much better… (and) could play from the start.”

Coming into this season, the 1988 Europa League and the 1993 German Cup were the only titles Leverkusen had won in their 120-year history. 

Having clinched the Bundesliga in mid-April, Leverkusen — who face second-division Kaiserslautern in the German Cup final on Saturday — are now two wins away from an unbeaten treble. 

Without a trophy since the 1963 Coppa Italia, Atalanta will also be hoping for a drought-breaking victory — but face a side who do not seem to know when they are beaten.

Even if Atalanta, who lost the Coppa Italia final to Juventus on Wednesday, manage to get a jump on their opponents, Leverkusen’s record late in matches will keep Gian Piero Gasperini’s side looking over their shoulder.

Leverkusen have scored 15 goals after the 90-minute mark this season, often snatching victory, or at least a draw, from the jaws of defeat. 

While luck, momentum and an insatiable home crowed have played a role, opponents have struggled to keep up with Leverkusen’s relentless ball movement and have faded late.

Nowhere has this been more evident than in the Europa League. Since the knockout rounds began, 11 of Leverkusen’s 12 goals have been scored after the 70-minute mark.

After Saturday’s 2-1 win over Augsburg which sealed the unbeaten league season, Alonso said the scale of the task was “unbelievable, but we’ll try it.”

“With this atmosphere, with this energy, there are reasons to be optimistic — and to believe.”

Dusan Vlahovic shot Juventus to the Italian Cup with the only goal in Wednesday’s final against Atalanta who were denied a first trophy in six decades. Serbia striker Vlahovic’s fourth-minute strike was enough for Juve to claim the cup for the 15th time in a largely uninspiring final in Rome. Massimiliano Allegri’s side had won just three matches since the end of January coming into the final but frustrated Atalanta from the moment Vlahovic, who also had a goal disallowed for offside in the second half, netted the only goal of the game.

Wednesday’s win ended a three-year trophy drought for Juventus, Italy’s most successful and widely-supported club who have been overshadowed by the Milan clubs and Napoli in recent seasons.

Poor performances this season have led to speculation that Allegri, who was sent off late on, will be sacked in the summer, and he hinted that his second spell as Juve coach is set to come to an end.

“If I’m gone next season, because I’ve already been sacked in the media, we’re in the Champions League and have won a trophy,” said Allegri to Mediaset.

“We’ve done everything we were supposed to do, get into the Champions League and reach a final, the boys did really well to win it.”

Atalanta were fancied to win their first major honour since winning the cup in 1963 after a fabulous season for the traditionally provincial club.

However Gian Piero Gasperini’s team couldn’t find a way through a brilliantly organised Juventus defence which stopped attack-minded Atalanta from having a single shot on target.

The closest Atalanta came to levelling was when Ademola Lookman thumped a shot off the base of the post with 10 minutes remaining.

Atalanta now turn their attentions to sealing Champions League football through Serie A and next week’s Europa League final.

The Bergamo club, who are fifth in Italy’s top flight, face Bayer Leverkusen in Dublin in their first ever European final.

“We were up against a good team who went in front straight way and defended very well. I don’t think we played badly… they didn’t do any more than we did,” said Gasperini.

Allegri sent-off

With fans expecting the Atalanta show Vlahovic put himself forward as chief party pooper when he rushed through to collect Andrea Cambiaso’s pass and smash home his 18th goal of the season.

Vlahovic has been profligate at times this season but his emphatic finish allowed Allegri to play the game he loves best, packing the defence and rebuffing Atalanta’s attacks.

Very little happened in the first half after he scored, largely thanks to Juve’s insistence that nothing happen.

Ademola Lookman went close with a deflected shot five minutes after the break but it was Vlahovic who went close to doubling Juve’s lead in the 65th minute.

The 24-year-old was fed by Federico Chiesa and then skipped past two defenders before his close-range finish was stopped by a combination of Marten de Roon and goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi.

Vlahovic then thought he had made sure of the cup for Juve with 17 minutes remaining, again meeting a Cambiaso ball to glance in a perfect header, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.

Lookman then thwacked his effort off the woodwork and soon after Juve midfielder Fabio Miretti rattled the crossbar in one of the game’s few moments of genuine drama.

The match finished with under-pressure Allegri sent off after the coach completely lost his head with referee Fabio Maresca when a foul on Danilo wasn’t immediately given in the area as Atalanta pushed for an equaliser.

Allegri was enraged to the point that he threw his jacket and tie to the floor before ranting at officials pitchside, as Juve directors tried to pull him away, before he returned fully dressed to celebrate cup glory.