Tonight, Tottenham face off against Manchester United for the fourth time this season – and will hope to wrap up their fourth win with a trophy. For United, they haven’t defeated the Lilywhites since October 2022, but that could all change this evening.
Both sides have had disappointing seasons in the Premier League – sitting 16th and 17th respectively – but have both had impressive Europa League runs.
This will be the first European final meeting between the two sides, and will bring drama, excitement and tension to the Basque country. So, what will separate the two sides?
Tottenham’s impressive backline
With Guglielmo Vicario, Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, and Destiny Udogie defending the Spurs goal - the five are difficult to break down. Despite having limited time playing together, they've moulded well as a group.
They all featured in both legs of the Europa League quarter and semi-final, conceding only two goals in four games. Frankfurt had scored at home for every game this season… until the Tottenham backline rocked up to Germany, kept them at bay, and took a 1-0-win home to North London. The same happened in the Arctic circle; could the same happen tonight?
One player who's had a stand-out run this Europa competition is full-back, Pedro Porro. The Spanish defender has five contributions in the Europa League this season, with a sublime strike to confirm Spurs' spot in the final. He'll be a player to fill an attacking void in the squad tonight, and make something happen.
United trio return from injury
Several United players have returned to training in recent days, giving the side a massive boost ahead of the final. Leny Yoro, Joshua Zirkzee and Diogo Dalot, have all been pictured in training, but the trio look more likely to feature off the bench than have a starting position in the final.
Starting returning players can be risky, and manager, Ruben Amorim, won't want to risk an early injury to a player who's only just coming back to the grass.
However, these returns are crucial to the United depth tonight - and gives Amorim the opportunity to turn to the bench for support. In order to remain on the front foot, Spurs must push for a lead early-on, to assure that that these substitutes cant cause any late damage or disappointment.
Fernandes has truly been United's shining light this season. The talisman is a great threat going forward, but Ange Postecoglou will be working on a solution.
With Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur lining up together in defensive midfield together, they will have strict orders to keep the threat quiet. One player looks likely to be given the role of sticking with Fernandes - not giving him any breathing space.
With 38 G/A this season Portuguese midfielder has been involved in over 1/3 of all United goals - proving him to be the main attacking force on the pitch. If he is kept quiet, United could struggle to create chances elsewhere.