Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United

Europa League glory is on the line as Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United go head-to-head in the first all-English final since 2019 at Bilbao’s iconic San Mames. 

Winners of the inaugural UEFA Cup/Europa League edition in 1971/72, Tottenham saw off fellow English rivals Wolverhampton to lift the crown before winning the 1983/84 installment. That remains Spurs’ last continental triumph, while they’ve not won a piece of silverware in any competition since conquering the EFL Cup in 2008. Halting a 17-year title drought is probably Ange Postecoglou’s only chance to save his job, with Tottenham consigned to finishing in the Premier League’s lower reaches for the first time in as many years. Confidence should still be high around the London camp after the Lilywhites beat Manchester United in all three competitive meetings this season, extending their unbeaten H2H run to six matches (W4, D2). However, Spain hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for Spurs by any stretch of the imagination, as they’ve won none of their previous seven visits to the country (D4, L3).

On the other hand, Manchester United face the ignominy of losing four times to a specific opposition in one season for the first time since 1985/86. Achieving that infamous record would see the Red Devils go seven consecutive encounters against Tottenham without winning for the first time in club history and potentially spell the end of Ruben Amorim’s tenure. Despite United’s embarrassing domestic season, they’ve gone from strength to strength in the Europa League, becoming only the fourth team in history to reach the final unscathed (W9, D5). Furthermore, only three sides have ever bettered Man Utd’s 35-goal tally in a single Europa League campaign, fueling optimism among the Old Trafford faithful as Amorim bids to lead the fallen giants to their first European success since 2017.