The UEFA Europa League final this season is an all-English affair between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, scheduled to be played on May 21 at the San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao, Spain.
For the game, here are our preview and predictions.
UEFA Europa League 2024/25 Final | Tottenham Hotspur FC vs Manchester United FC | May 22, 12:30 am IST
Both Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United are hovering just above the long-sealed relegation zone in the Premier League. Both have suffered with injuries and poor performances throughout the season. However, they’ve done well in Europe, managing to shrug off their dismal league form to reach this year’s Europa League final.
This is Spurs’ first European cup final in six years, having lost the 2019 UEFA Champions League final to Liverpool. Five months after making the UCL final, Spurs dismissed Mauricio Pochettino. Since then, they have had a host of managers before bringing in Ange Postecoglou in 2023.
Despite having a decent squad, Postecoglou hasn’t been able to compete in the league, with Spurs ending the season well outside the European spots this season. It would be unfair, however, to criticise their performances without pointing out the massive injury problems they have to deal with all season. That they have managed to reach the Europa League final is commendable.
En route to the final, Spurs beat AZ Alkmaar, Eintracht Frankfurt, and Bodø/Glimt in the knockouts. None of these teams were tricky oppositions on paper, though. With major players like James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, and Lucas Bergvall set to miss the Europa League final due to injury, it will be a tough ask for Postecoglou’s side to end their 17-year wait for silverware.
Man United, on the other hand, have won cup competitions in the last two seasons, having won the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup last year, even though their league campaign was a disappointing one last season. They last reached the final of the Europa League in 2021, which they lost to Villarreal.
United have had their fair share of injuries as well, but poor tactics and performances have let them down more often. They’ve also had a mid-season managerial change. Erik ten Hag was fired in late October on the back of underwhelming performances and Ruben Amorim was brought in from Primeira Liga champions Sporting, though he hasn’t been able to turn United’s fortunes around.
However, the Europa League has been a different story for the Red Devils. They come into the final unbeaten in the competition. They had a fairly difficult run in the knockouts, facing Real Sociedad, Olympique Lyonnais, and Athletic Club. However, they managed emphatic wins against each of them—the only silver lining for their massive global fan base amidst a disappointing domestic campaign.
Looking at their domestic performances, there isn’t much to choose between the two sides; they both lost their respective games in the league last weekend. Head-to-head this season, though, Spurs have beaten Man United twice in the league and once in the EFL Cup.
That said, Spurs will be missing game-changing players in Maddison and Kulusevski, which puts them at a huge disadvantage. United, on the other hand, might have Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt back for the final, which would be a massive boost to their chances.
Considering they have more experience of contesting and winning cup finals in recent years compared to Spurs, United hold a slight advantage over the North London outfit in this final.
Result and Winners Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Manchester United
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