Tottenham vs Manchester United – Europa League final preview

The Football Faithful

·21 mai 2025

Tottenham vs Manchester United – Europa League final preview

Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United battle it out tonight in an all-English Europa League final.

Alongside the prospect of lifting the coveted trophy, both teams have an extra incentive this evening. The winner automatically qualifies for the Champions League next season, something that isn’t attainable through their league positions.

Vidéos OneFootball

Spurs are attempting to end their exhausting 17-year trophy drought in Bilbao tonight.

The time has come 🤩 #UELfinal
– mercredi 21 mai 2025

The Lilywhites may struggle creatively this evening, with their three primary creative sources ruled out by injury. James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are set for an extended period on the sidelines, while Lucas Bergvall hasn’t recovered in time to feature. There was optimism surrounding the teenager’s availability for the final, but Ange Postecoglou has announced his absence.

Captain Heung-min Son has been passed fit after building his sharpness in the last two matches. Pape Matar Sarr has shaken off a knock that caused his premature exit from the field against Aston Villa on Friday.

Ruben Amorim will be hoping to alleviate the pressure swirling around him by lifting his first piece of silverware as United boss.

The Portuguese’s morale has been lifted over the last few days by the return of three key figures. Diogo Dalot, Leny Yoro, and Joshua Zirkzee participated in training yesterday and are ready to appear in the final.

Dalot missed a month of action due to a calf issue, while Yoro wasn’t included in Friday’s squad that lost to Chelsea. Initial reports indicated that Zirkzee’s season was over after suffering a hamstring injury in April. But just five weeks later, the Dutchman can be called upon by Amorim.

Central defenders Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt are the only two senior players who haven’t travelled. The latter isn’t able to contribute due to a knock.

Tottenham vs Manchester United – Europa League Final Match Preview and team news

Form

Tottenham: WDWLL

Tottenham’s preparations for the final haven’t gone smoothly, with two consecutive defeats in the Premier League.

Both Crystal Palace and Aston Villa beat Spurs 2-0, with neither performance providing encouragement for their fans.

However, throughout the whole season, the Lilywhites have managed to separate their domestic form from their European exploits.

On the road to the final, Ange Postecoglou’s side eliminated AZ Alkmaar, Frankfurt and Bodo/Glimt in the knockout stages.

The recent history between the two sides suggests a Tottenham victory, with the North London club already beating United three times this season.

Manchester United: WLWLL

Like Spurs, Manchester United have also lost their last two matches before the European final.

On Friday, a strong United outfit were narrowly defeated by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

The previous week, West Ham prevailed at Old Trafford courtesy of a 2-0 victory.

However, the Red Devils share another similarity with tonight’s opponents as league results haven’t impacted their success in Europe.

Ruben Amorim’s side remain undefeated in the competition this campaign, having played 14 times across the league phase and knockout games.

United have already triumphed in the final’s venue this campaign as they comfortably conquered Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of their semi-final.

Last Meeting: Tottenham 1-0 Manchester United, Premier League, 16th February 2025.

James Maddison’s 13th-minute goal was the difference in the last encounter between the two sides.

Ange Postecoglou and his players had already overcome Manchester United on two occasions earlier in the campaign. Spurs prevailed at Old Trafford in the Premier League with a 3-0 win before knocking the Red Devils out of the Carabao Cup at the quarter-final stage.

In the opening stages of the match in North London, United had a flurry of chances to break the deadlock. Rasmus Hojlund’s low shot was parried away by the returning Guglielmo Vicario before the ball was recycled to Alejandro Garnacho. The Argentine cut inside and curled an effort towards the top corner, which was stopped by the outstretched glove of Vicario. Ben Davies then cleared Diogo Dalot’s subsequent rebound off the line.

Spurs’ response to the temporary onslaught was decisive as Maddison netted the winning goal. The former Leicester City player reacted quickest to the loose ball following Andre Onana’s save from Lucas Bergvall’s shot.

Despite taking the lead, the hosts still looked vulnerable defensively. Garnacho spurned a glorious opportunity to restore parity as he blazed over despite having an abundance of space and time inside the box.

Mathys Tel almost registered his first Premier League goal for the club before the break, but Onana was equal to his tame effort.

The second period was a relatively quiet affair, with the lack of cutting edge from the visitors preventing them from earning a point.

Garnacho’s frustrating afternoon continued as he was thwarted by Vicario’s strong reactions on two more occasions. Although the biggest chance fell to Joshua Zirkzee, who should’ve hit the target with his unmarked header. Tottenham withstood the pressure to collect a valuable three points and a rare clean sheet.

Predicted Lineups

Tottenham: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bentancur, Sarr, Bissouma; Johnson, Solanke, Son.

Manchester United: Onana; Amad, Mazraoui, Maguire, Yoro, Dorgu; Casemiro, Ugarte; Fernandes, Garnacho, Hojlund.

Who is the referee?

German referee Felix Zwayer will be the match official. Robert Kempter and Christian Dietz will assist him, while Maurizio Mariani will be the fourth official. Bastian Dankert will be on VAR duty, and Benjamin Brand will assist him.