Atalanta seal UCL place, seek to end Leverkusen run in UEL final

Atalanta secured a Champions League spot with a 2-0 win at Lecce in the penultimate round of Serie A on Saturday.

The Bergamo side are in fifth place, six points ahead of Roma, and hold a tiebreaker over the Giallorossi after beating Roma last weekend. Atalanta also moved within one point of fourth-placed Juventus.

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Italy will have at least five teams in next season's Champions League, and could earn a sixth spot if Atalanta defeat unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final on Wednesday.

Atalanta were coming off a 1-0 loss to Juventus in the Coppa Italia final and Charles De Ketelaere and Gianluca Scamacca scored five minutes apart shortly after the break.

Scamacca set up De Ketelaere and then headed in the second.

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Atalanta will return to the Champions League after a two-year absence. Their best result in Europe's top club competition was the quarterfinals in 2020.

"As far as we are concerned, Champions League qualification is an extraordinary result and these lads are going beyond all expectations," Gasperini said.

"I am truly happy with this and we need to dedicate it to everyone in Bergamo."

For Gasperini to turn a good season into a great one, the Italians must beat the Germán champions in Dublin on Wednesday.

He said his side were not afraid of an all-conquering Bayer Leverkusen team he likened to a tank as they prepare to meet in the Europa League final.

"They dominated the Bundesliga and are like a tank, but we are not afraid of them and will go there to play with courage and in good shape," he told Sky Sport Italia on Saturday.

Xabi Alonso's Leverkusen became on Saturday the first team to complete a Bundesliga season without losing a match, stretching their European record unbeaten run across all competitions to 51 games.

The club hailed the achievement by giving themselves a new nickname on their social media channel - "Bayer 04 Neverlusen".

"I think about that, I also think every run has to end sometime," Gasperini added. "Atalanta can trouble Bayer Leverkusen too."

Gasperini has been linked with a move to Napoli and the 66-year-old did not rule out leaving Atalanta after eight years in charge.

"We are playing Wednesday, then after that we'll see," he said.

"What the difference means to me is the challenge and whether it is credible in the choices and evaluations, that is the most important thing."

Information from The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.