Manchester United have enjoyed an excellent Europa League campaign thus far, in vastly different form to what the club have shown in the Premier League.
The Red Devils will finish the Premier League season on Sunday with a record low league position, but few will be too bothered if Ruben Amorim’s side lift the Europa League trophy in Bilbao on Wednesday.
It has been a long season for Manchester United, in which Europe has been the only real positive. 14 games unbeaten in the Europa League has set up an all-English final which has Basque officials nervous.
It is the third time that the Red Devils have reached the final of the competition, and United will be desperate to avoid repeating the 2021 Europa League final loss, in which the 11-10 penalty defeat was hugely deflating.
Paul Scholes has predicted United’s clutch ability to win the game, suggesting the winning mentality in the squad will be too much for Spurs.
With the final just around the corner, one source of confidence for fans can be to see how strong United have been within the Europa League this season.
Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
How Manchester United’s Europa League campaign compares with other clubs
When drawn in the Europa League, the goal for United will always be to win it, given the general feeling is that the club belongs in the Champions League instead.
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This season, United have played like a club who belongs in the final of the Europa League, as the campaign statistics from SofaScore showcase.
An infographic showing Manchester United's stats in Europa League 2024/25 ranked against the rest of the clubs in tournament.
An infographic made by SofaScore.
United have been an attacking force in Europe, blowing teams away which has been a big part in progressing to the final, with aggregate goal tallies of seven against Athletic Club, seven against Lyon and five against Real Sociedad.
United are ranked first for goals and expected goals, which suggests that any success had on Wednesday will be through the attacking efforts, with the most goals in the competition and two away from the all-time record for goals in a campaign.
Where United have a weakness is defensively, with the 22nd highest clean sheet percentage and ninth for goals conceded. This tells us United will have to score.
Based solely on the Europa League campaign, United should be lifting the trophy.
Manchester United are the best team in the Europa League this season
The route to the 2025 Europa League final has been far from smooth for United, with tough knockout match-ups and also a stuttering start under Erik ten Hag.
However, since Amorim took charge there has been a special feeling around the competition, with it being an escape from the misery of domestic football.
An infographic showing Manchester United's stats and road to the Europa League final 2024/25.
An infographic created by Sofascore.
There should be confidence going into the final, as United are an improving team with goals the issue preventing the club from winning games in the league.
However, in the Europa League, United have been taking chances, and therefore, the final will hopefully follow a similar trend.