Atalanta's Gasperini stands in way of Alonso's fairytale in Europa League final

Bayer Leverkusen's Xabi Alonso can confirm his status as the rising star of coaching in Europa League final, but he will come up against a wily old fox in Atalanta's Gian Piero Gasperini.

Alonso has rebuffed advances from former clubs Liverpool and Bayern Munich to remain in charge of Leverkusen after leading the club to their first ever Bundesliga title with an unprecedented unbeaten season.

Leverkusen are huge favourites to see off second-tier Kaiserslautern in the German Cup final on Saturday. But they face a much trickier task in Dublin against an Atalanta side who could also achieve the greatest ever season in their history.

A provincial club from Bergamo, Atalanta have traditionally lived in the shadow of the nearby giants AC and Inter Milan. However, they are enjoying a golden age under Gasperini and will play in the Champions League next season for the fourth time in five years.