The UEFA Super Cup trophy is displayed at the Castle Square in the Old Town of Warsaw, as the National Stadium is seen in the background, on August 10, 2024. The 2024 UEFA Super Cup final football match between Real Madrid and Atalanta will be held on August 14, 2024 at the National Stadium in Warsaw.The UEFA Super Cup trophy is displayed at the Castle Square in the Old Town of Warsaw, as the National Stadium is seen in the background, on August 10, 2024. The 2024 UEFA Super Cup final football match between Real Madrid and Atalanta will be held on August 14, 2024 at the National Stadium in Warsaw.
The UEFA Super Cup trophy is displayed at the Castle Square in the Old Town of Warsaw, as the National Stadium is seen in the background, on August 10, 2024. The 2024 UEFA Super Cup final football match between Real Madrid and Atalanta will be held on August 14, 2024 at the National Stadium in Warsaw. | AFP via Getty Images
Manchester United will enter the UEFA Super Cup if they beat Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final
We are nearing ever closer to a night where the entire footballing world will sit down and take notice, as Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur face off in the Europa League final in Bilbao on Wednesday.
On face value a European final encounter between two of England’s modern ‘big six’ is nothing new, but when you consider the soap operas which have been the Premier League seasons of both clubs this campaign, it makes for an unmissable spectacle.
For United, it is a chance at redemption for Ruben Amorim so that all can be forgotten from a disastrous first league season in England for the Portuguese, coupled with the benefit of attracting star names to Old Trafford to mould a new-look side in his image. It is thought that United may have a major clear-out this summer.
Whereas for Spurs, this could well be the final act for Ange Postecoglou regardless of the result. Should the North Londoners lose, it is difficult to see where the club goes next after a likely 17th-placed finish and a continuation of 17 years without a major trophy.
At both clubs it has been bad for a while, but defeat in the final would mean uncharted territory.
When and where is the 2025 UEFA Super Cup final?
Also lying in wait for the victors on Wednesday is a place in the 2025 UEFA Super Cup final, a yearly one-off match contested between the winners of the Champions League and Europa League. This year, it will take place on August 13 at the Stadio Friuli in Udine, Italy.
An often-forgotten but added bonus for the winners of Europe’s two biggest club competitions, the Super Cup offers the chance at another trophy to add to the cabinet and is a great chance for Wednesday’s Europa League winners to test themselves against the champions of Europe in preparation for next season’s Champions League.
This year is the 50th edition of the UEFA Super Cup and the match will go to a penalty shootout if the scores are level after 90 minutes. Extra time was removed ahead of the 2023 edition of the spectacle.
Man Utd’s past performances in the UEFA Super Cup
Manchester United haven’t had the strongest record in previous UEFA Super Cup finals, winning just one out of the four they have competed in. The only time they won the trophy? Back in 1991, when the Red Devils faced European Cup winners Red Star Belgrade, coming into the match as reigning winners of the Cup Winners’ Cup. United won 1-0 with a second-half Brian McClair goal the difference.
Most recently, the Red Devils faced off against Real Madrid in 2017, Europa League winners United coming in as underdogs against Zinedine Zidane’s imperious Madrid side. Despite a debut goal for £75m signing Romelu Lukaku, Jose Mourinho’s United side lost 2-1.
United also lost Super Cup finals on the back of both the club’s Champions League final successes in 1999 and 2008. Sir Alex Ferguson’s treble winners lost 1-0 to Lazio in 1999 before 2008 saw another surprise defeat, this time 2-1 at the hands of Zenit Saint Petersburg.
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