Spurs face United in the Europa League finalSpurs face United in the Europa League final
Spurs face United in the Europa League final | Getty Images
Here we take a look at the pundit predictions for the Europa League final.
If Spurs win this one, they will not only end their 17-year trophy doubt, but they will also secure qualification for next season’s Champions League. Ahead of the big final on Wednesday night, we have rounded up some of the predictions from the pundits.
Gary Neville
Neville said on Monday Night Football: “I think United will win on Wednesday night," he told Monday Night Football.
Alan Shearer
Shearer told Betfair: “Both clubs need to win as badly as each other. You can't stress the importance of it for both clubs. The ramifications for not winning are disastrous, they really are. On the other hand, it should change everything going forward for whoever wins it. Spurs have done really well against United this season so, for that reason, I'd say Spurs should be slight favourites.
“This match is pretty impossible to predict when you look at how bad both teams have been. Spurs have done really well against United this season, so due to their record against them I'd say Spurs should be slight favourites. There are more negatives than positives for both teams when you look at them. I really haven't got a clue what to expect or what teams will turn up. It's a bit of a flip of a coin and it'll be a disaster for whoever doesn't win. Given what's at stake for both clubs, it could have an impact on the game. There's so much relying on both teams, managers and both clubs' short-term futures.
“There's no exaggeration that both teams need an injection of five or six players to try and compete again and that's why the stakes of this game are enormous. Just because of their record over the last five or six games against them, and particularly this season, I'll go for a Spurs win. It wouldn't surprise me if the game goes all the way to penalties, but I'll go for Spurs to win in normal time.”
Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker said on The Rest is Football podcast: “Oh, he’s gone full on there, sounds like a World Cup final. I’m going to have to go for Spurs, I couldn’t not.” He added: “Well, I’ve got this feeling that it’s the teams that have not won for ages this year. “And I think they’re going to, I don’t know about 90 minutes or, I think it could easily go to extra time.”
Micah Richards
On the same show, Richards predicted: “I’m going to say, I think a lot of people have laughed off Casemiro or laughed at him for a while now. But I think in these competitions, sometimes it goes down to set pieces. So I’m going to say Bruno assist for a Casemiro goal, one nil.”
Roy Keane
Keane told Sky Sports: “You still have to fancy United, someone like Bruno can produce, the history of Manchester United still carries a little bit of weight.
“There’s not much between them [in the league] but come the crunch, come the final, United’s history in finals, them winning cups the last few years, you’d like to think they would have a bit more knowledge around the game than Spurs. That might edge it for them, and I think Bruno can produce that bit of magic.”
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