The 2024/25 UEFA Europa League will be on the line when Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United face off at San Mames in the highly-anticipated final on Wednesday.
The first European final of the 2024/25 season is upon us, and it is one that has invited some undue criticism. Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United at San Mames will be the UEFA Europa League finale, with the two teams aiming to end their horrendous campaigns by qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.
Arsene Wenger has been among the critics of the stipulation that awards the Europa League winner a spot in the following season’s UEFA Champions League. The outrage is preposterous, considering the rule has been in place for a decade while never inviting any scandalous remarks before the 2024/25 campaign.
Nevertheless, onto the matters on the pitch, Tottenham Hotspur qualified for the UEFA Europa League final by cruising to a 5-1 win over Bodo/Glimt in the semi-finals. They had narrowly beaten AZ Alkmaar and Eintracht Frankfurt in the previous rounds, having finished fourth in the opening phase.
On the other hand, Manchester United eased to a 7-1 win on aggregate over Athletic Club in the semi-finals, robbing the Basque outfit the opportunity to play the UEFA Europa League final at home. The Red Devils beat Lyon in the quarter-finals by the skin of their teeth but had no problems dispatching Real Sociedad in the round of 16. They finished third in the opening phase and are the only unbeaten team in Europe this season.
However, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have been horrendous in the Premier League, with the two teams 16th and 17th, respectively, in the English top-flight standings. Neither team has won a Premier League game in over two months, and the UEFA Europa League triumph will somewhat salvage their disastrous campaigns.
Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United have faced off thrice this season, with the North London outfit winning each game. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Tottenham Hotspur
Ange Postecoglou has no new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Tottenham Hotspur manager will be bereft of the services of five first-team players vs Manchester United on Wednesday.
Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison as the most notable absentees, with the duo’s absence robbing Tottenham of creativity in the final third as they recover from knee injuries. The pair accompanies Radu Dragusin (knee), Lucas Bergvall (ankle), and Timo Werner (hamstring) on the sidelines.
Guglielmo Vicario will take his spot between the sticks, with Tottenham Hotspur lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs Manchester United on Wednesday. The backline should feature Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, and Destiny Udogie.
As for the midfield unit, there is no lookiing past Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Pape Matar Sarr. Finally, Dominic Solanke will lead the line for Tottenham against Manchester United, with Son Heung-min and Brennan Johnson being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Vicario; Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Bissouma, Bentancur; Johnson, Solanke, Son
Manchester United
Unlike his counterpart in the Tottenham Hotspur dugout, Ruben Amorim has greeted positive updates on the team news front ahead of the trip to San Mames for the UEFA Europa League final. The Manchester United manager will be without only two first-team players on Wednesday.
Lisandro Martinez (knee) and Matthijs de Ligt are the only absentees, although the latter is closing in on returning. Meanwhile, Diogo Dalot, Leny Yoro, and Joshua Zirkzee have resumed training, with the trio travelling to Spain to take on Tottenham Hotspur. However, only Yoro may return to the starting eleven on Wednesday.
Andre Onana is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Manchester United lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of him vs Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday. The central defensive unit should feature Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, and Leny Yoro. Noussair Mazraoui and Patrick Dorgu will likely start as the two wing-backs. So, Dalot and Luke Shaw will be backup options on the bench.
As for the midfield unit, Manuel Ugarte and Casemiro will likely pair up in the double pivot, with the latter playing the role of the progressor. Finally, Rasmus Hojlund will spearhead the Manchester United attack against Tottenham, with Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo providing creative support. So, Zirkzee, Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount, and Alejandro Garnacho will be backup options on the bench.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Onana; Lindelof, Maguire, Yoro; Mazraoui, Ugarte, Casemiro, Dorgu; Amad, Bruno Fernandes; Hojlund
Key Stats
The only previous European meeting between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United came in the 1963/64 Cup Winners’ Cup round of 16, with the Red Devils progressing 4-3 on aggregate over two legs under Sir Matt Busby. Tottenham Hotspur have won all three games vs Manchester United in all competitions thus far in the 2024/25 season. The only opponent they have ever beaten four times in a single campaign were Manchester City in 1992/93, while the only side to beat the Red Devils four times in a single season were Everton in 1985/86.
Manchester United are winless in their last six games vs Tottenham Hotspur across all competitions (D2 L4), losing their three most recent meetings. The Red Devils have never previously gone seven without a win against the North London outfit, and they have also never lost four successive matches against the Lilywhites.
Manchester United are the only unbeaten side in major European competition this season, winning nine and drawing five of their 14 UEFA Europa League games. They are looking to become only the fourth side to win the Europa League without losing a match that term after Chelsea in 2018/19, Villarreal in 2020/21, and Eintracht Frankfurt in 2021/22.
Tottenham Hotspur have won nine of their 14 matches in this season’s Europa League (D3 L2), their most ever in a campaign in major European competition, overtaking eight victories in 1971/72, 1973/74, and 2006/07 (all in the UEFA Cup).
Manchester United have scored 35 goals in this season’s UEFA Europa League; the only sides to score more in a UEFA Cup/Europa League campaign are Borussia Monchengladbach in 1972/73 (36), FC Porto in 2010/11 (37), and Chelsea in 2018/19 (36).
Only Athletic Club (30) have had more shots after “high turnovers” than Manchester United (23) and Tottenham Hotspur (22) in this season’s UEFA Europa League. Meanwhile, the Red Devils are also joint-top of the 2024/25 competition for “direct attacks” (32, level with Lyon).
Dominic Solanke has scored in his last four appearances against Manchester United in all competitions (5 goals). Since Sir Alex Ferguson left the Red Devils in 2013, only one player has scored in 5+ consecutive appearances against them, with Mohamed Salah doing so in six times from January 2021 to March 2023.
Player to Watch
Bruno Fernandes
While Amad Diallo, Son Heung-min, and Dominic Solanke were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Bruno Fernandes as the Player to Watch for Wednesday’s UEFA Europa League final between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at San Mames.
Only Rayan Cherki (12) has been directly involved in more UEFA Europa League goals this season than Bruno Fernandes (11 – G7 A4). The only player to be involved in more for an English club in a campaign in the competition was Olivier Giroud for Chelsea in 2018/19 (15 – G11 A4).
Meanwhile, Bruno Fernandes G7 A4), and Dominic Solanke (G5 A4) require one assist to record 5+ goals and 5+ assists in this season’s UEFA Europa League, a feat only two players have previously achieved: Kevin De Bruyne in 2014/15 (G5 A5), and Giuliano in 2016/17 (G8 A6).
The Portuguese international will invariably be the go-to man for Ruben Amorim as the Red Devils aim to topple Tottenham Hotspur and win the UEFA Europa League final. Considering some of Fernandes’s other numbers – he has made 35 passes that have broken the opposition’s defensive line, and 24 line-breaking passes into the opposition’s penalty area in this season’s UEFA Europa League, both competition-high amounts – the Manchester United captain will fancy his prospects.
Prediction
Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Manchester United
Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United have endured arguably their worst campaigns of the 21st century, and nothing can save the embarrassment of finishing 17th and 16th in the Premier League. However, UEFA Champions League qualification can salvage some pride, and the two teams will leave it all on the line.
We can expect end-to-end action throughout the game, and their defensive frailties will be clear on Wednesday. However, with Manchester United recovering several crucial players before the final and Tottenham missing Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison, the scales are tilting in the Red Devils’ favour.
Ultimately, there might not be much to separate the two teams, and we may witness one of the closest UEFA Europa League finals in a long time. However, Manchester United should have enough quality to eke a narrow victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Ruben Amorim and his charges.