🏆 Spurs-United, 7 Italians on show in season-defining EL clash | OneFootball

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Tottenham Hotspur against Manchester United. The final of the 2024/2025 Europa League will once again be an all-English showdown.

It's not a novelty. It has already happened twice before that the final act of the tournament was a British affair. The first was in the 1971-1972 season, the first edition of what was then the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, when Tottenham beat Wolverhampton 2-1. The second was in 2018/2019, when Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea dominated Arsenal 4-1.

The peculiarity of the third British-flavored final is the erratic journey that has led both teams to compete for the second most prestigious trophy in Europe.

Both Tottenham and Manchester United have had a disastrous season in the Premier League. They occupy the 17th and 16th positions in the standings respectively, and if it weren't for the collapse of the already relegated Leicester, Ipswich, and Southampton, they would now be fighting for their place in the top division.

The Europa League journey, on the contrary, has represented a sort of redemption for the two clubs. Except for the crazy quarter-final of the Red Devils against Lyon, the two teams have not struggled to reach the final.

For Tottenham, which has already triumphed twice in the UEFA Cup/Europa League, winning would mean lifting a trophy again after 17 years, the first of the Ange Postecoglou era. The last success dates back to 2008 in the English League Cup.

For United, on the other hand, a victory would align with its recent identity as a club inconsistent over the long term but capable of sudden flashes in single matches and shorter tournaments. It's no coincidence that the titles of the last two years with Eric ten Hag have come in the EFL Cup and FA Cup. The Europa League would be the first for Ruben Amorim, who during the season left the high-flying Sporting Lisbon to take on the United challenge.

The match in Bilbao will also be an opportunity to see some Italian players or those who have played in Serie A in action.

In the ranks of Tottenham, Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie, Cristian Romero, and Rodrigo Bentancur should be regularly on the field, while Dejan Kulusevski and Radu Dragusin will be absent due to injury.

There are eight Manchester United players who have worn the jersey of Italian clubs. They are Andre Onana, Diogo Dalot, Matthijs de Ligt, captain Bruno Fernandes, Christian Eriksen, Amad Diallo, Joshua Zirkzee, and Patrick Dorgu, who moved from Lecce to the Red Devils last January. Onana, Bruno Fernandes, and Dorgu will likely be starters. The others will all sit on the bench except for de Ligt, who is absent due to injury.

The seasonal precedents favor Tottenham, which in all three instances (two in the league and one in the EFL Cup) has beaten tonight's rivals: 3-0 at Old Trafford and 1-0 at home in the league and 4-3 in the League Cup quarter-finals.

In any case, regardless of who wins the Europa League, English football will emerge victorious because it will qualify the sixth team for the next edition of the Champions League.

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