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I remember when the Europa League season was still in its early stages, I think it was the round of 16 or thereabout that people said the final would be between Liverpool and Leverkusen because both teams were flying and the hottest at the time. I said here that it was too early to tell. The Europa League is not like the Champions League where most time the winners are usually among the favourites. The Europa League is very difficult to win. The only team that has managed to make the title their favourite is Sevilla and lately they've been poor.
I must confess, I never expected Atalanta to win from the early stages, but when they ran riot on Liverpool at Anfield, I had an eye on them and when they got to the final, I knew they'd be no pushovers. I knew Leverkusen were the favourites and I never expected the scoreline, but I knew Atalanta had a big chance of winning that final and they did. They played exceptionally. Didn't allow Leverkusen much space in behind. It's a season to remember for Atalanta I must say.
Everyone also knows that Atalanta was not the favorite team to win the Europa League title at the start of last season, if someone knew then I'm sure they would have bet hundreds of thousands of dollars and won it at the end of the season. Atalanta's odds of winning the Europa League title are very high, which means Atalanta is not a favorite compared to Leverkusen or other favorite teams.
Moreover, Atalanta were also not favorites to win the title when they were in the final. Leverkusen, who are in their craziest form in a season, were the team most expected to win it, but in fact Atalanta succeeded in hitting many Leverkusen fans' confidence with a surprising final score. So you are right, the team that will win the Europa League title is very difficult to predict even though there are several teams that are worthy favorites.