football
Europa League final: Wirtz in Leverkusen’s starting eleven
In the Leverkusen starting eleven against Atalanta: Florian Wirtz. photo
© Federico Gambarini/dpa
He got fit in time: national player Florian Wirtz is in the starting eleven in Bayer Leverkusen’s Europa League final against Atalanta Bergamo.
National player Florian Wirtz will be in the starting line-up of German soccer champions Bayer Leverkusen for the Europa League final against Atalanta Bergamo.
Because of a blow to his thigh, the 21-year-old had been out of the squad twice in the previous four games and was only substituted on twice. The day before the final, the Leverkusen team declared that Wirtz had gotten fit in time. He will most likely start in the attack center as the so-called false nine, as he did in the first leg of the semi-final at AS Roma (2-0).
As announced, the Czech Matej Kovar will be allowed to keep the goal in the final, as he has in all cup games this season. Coach Xabi Alonso left it open whether captain and regular goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky would play in the cup final against 1. FC Kaiserslautern on Saturday. In midfield, Argentine world champion Exequiel Palacios is given preference over national player Robert Andrich.
Bergamo will have two of the three former Bundesliga players on the field at kick-off: ex-Schalke player Sead Kolasinac and former Leipzig player Ademola Lookman. On the bench will initially be Mitchel Bakker, who moved from Leverkusen to Italy last summer.