The final four teams are officially locked in for the UEFA Europa League with a handful of surprise contenders in the fray as a new oddsmakers’ favorite takes center stage.
Bayer Leverkusen’s unbeaten season continued on Thursday with a 3-1 aggregate win over West Ham, becoming the leading candidate to win this season’s competition in the process. Roma, meanwhile, won by the same aggregate score against AC Milan and fellow Italian side Atalanta completed their upset over Liverpool. Marseille were the last to join the group after ousting Benfica on penalty kicks.
This is a group of semifinalists that might have been hard to predict earlier on this season, but each has made their case to be in the final four and bring their own intriguing storylines as they make a deep run in the Europa League. It sets up for some fascinating potential finals, some more eye-popping than others.
Here’s a ranking of the possible Europa League finales as all four teams begin to eye a ticket to Dublin.
4. Atalanta vs. Roma
This might be the matchup that has the least star power attached to it, but it has its argument as an all-Italian final. The pair tied 1-1 in their first meeting in Serie A this season and would play each other for a second time in the league just 10 days before the Europa League final, which would be the first time Roma face them since Daniele De Rossi took over. The legendary player, who will stay on as coach, has reinvigorated Roma since coming on, which makes them a fascinating team to follow as the competition wraps up. As for Atalanta, their steady rise over the last few years has been fun to watch and a trip to the final offers the perk of a new team finding a place amongst Europe’s elite.
3. Marseille vs. Roma
This would be a fun showcase between two storied teams who may have had insignificant domestic campaigns but turned things on in European action. Both sides are also staffed…
