Tottenham vs. Man United: Who has the edge in Europa League final as Spurs, Red Devils battle for UCL spot?

The UEFA Europa League final on Wednesday is the first of various European club final that will take place in the coming two weeks, and perhaps the most peculiar as the 16th and 17th best teams in England – Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur – focuses on an important piece of silverware that would go away with some of the tubes of the season.

This will be the fourth and last time that these two are opposite each other during this campaign, with this series that tilts a lot in Spurs’ benefits so far. The side of Ange Postecoglou has so far has three victories against the Red Devils and scored them 8-3 along the way. The context of Wednesday’s game is different from the one who came before, and not just because of the unpredictability of a one -off competition with a trophy on the line. Both Postecoglou and his counterpart of United, Ruben Amorim, may have to make team selections with a limited team, adding a low tactical intrigues to the final.

Spurs will be without important players such as James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, while it is unclear what role Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro can play for United on Wednesday. Every combination of this absence probably seems to play a role in how the final ultimately shakes and forces big questions about which team really has the lead in every area of ​​the field.

Prior to the Europa League final, here are here in every position in every position.

How to view the final of the Europa League, Opportunities

• Date: Wednesday 21 May | Time3 pm
• Location: San Mames Stadium – Bilbao, Spain
• TV: CBS Sports Network | Live stream: Paramount+
• Chances: Tottenham Hotspur +190; Drawing +220; Manchester United +140

Goalkeeper: Tottenham Hotspur

It has not exactly been a banner year for Spurs’ Guglielmo Vicario or United’s Andre Onana, although that is mainly because neither teams have been particularly effective at the back, a problem that is larger than both goalkeepers. In accordance with the similarities of the non -impressive seasons of both teams, the statistics show that Vicario and Onana had a similar output, with few clean sheets and a limited number of rescues to talk about. That said, the lead, no matter how small, is Vicario – he was a little better than Onana in different categories such as expected goals against (on average 1.3 per match in all competitions for Vicario, 1.4 for Onana) and savings percentage (68.3% for Vicario, 67% for Onana). Moreover, Onana has sometimes been error -sensitive, so much even that Amorim dropped the goalkeeper between the semi -final legs against Lyon.

Defenders: Tottenham Hotspur

The answer to this prompt is entirely on injury reports and the good news for Spurs is that they will be on full fitness, at least in this category. Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are fundamentally for the success of Spurs, so much so that the downward turn of the team can really be attributed to their long injuries. The couple played only 18 games together this season, but the results for themselves – with Romero and Van de Ven, Tottenham on average 1.07 expected goals against and admits 1.17 goals per game. Without them, the expected goals counter to 1.64 per game and give them 1.47 goals. Combined with talented wingbacks such as Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie, the back line offers a lot of hope for spurs on the way to the final.

United has a lot of work to do in this category in comparison. De Ligt is their best defender, but in recent weeks he has different injuries and the time will learn whether he can play on Wednesday, and the same applies to Yoro. That leaves United with a RAG tag team at the back that Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof comprises, who do not inspire trust. Patrick Dorgu is a promising addition to the left wingback, but he has not yet achieved his full potential in the first months of his enchantment at United.

Midfielders: Manchester United

The center of the park is really an example of the stories of the Europa League finalists this season traces arrive in Bilbao that is understaffed in this category, while the Red Devils are not sent properly. Tottenham will be without Maddison, perhaps their most important (and only) passer -by, while Kulusevski will also miss after a quiet strong season and the same applies to rising talent Lucas Bergvall. Postecoglou will be left with like -minded players in Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur, while they also sweat potentially on the fitness of Pape Matar Sarr. The manager may find unique roles for Wilson Odobert and Mikey Moore, as he made on Friday in their 2-0 loss in Aston Villa, but how he solves his midfield problems, is a big question for the final.

The edge can be united as standard. Their midfield has long been a problem, where Casemiro still earns minutes, even though he is past his Prime and Manuel Ugarte who does everything he can do to make a difference in a job that is too big for one person. Bruno Fernandes has succeeded in carrying his team on his back again, so much so He asked his teammates to “act” And shoulder some of the load. How quickly they can meet his demand is a question mark, but Fernandes is probably willing to do it themselves on Wednesday, whether or not his teammates appear.

Forward: Tottenham Hotspur

It has been a special season for Tottenham, largely because one thing still works reasonably well – their attack. They rank sixth in the Premier League for goals and are in the upper half of the competition for shots, shots on goal and expected goals. Their goals also come from a wide range of players, with five players who score more than 10 goals in all competitions this season. That list includes Maddison and Kulusevski, who will not play on Wednesday, but Brenna Johnson surprisingly leads their goal lists with 17 this season and Dominic Solanke has a respectable 15 in his first season in the club. Captain Son Heung-Min has also had a quiet solid season with 11 goals and has 11 assists to come along.

It is in stark contrast to the Red Devils, which are 16th in the Premier League for goals and in the lower half are in most attacking categories. The struggle of United to sign an impactful goal scorer looms here, mainly because only three players who are not called Fernandes, 10-plus goals-aljandro Garnacho, Rasmus Hojlund and Amad Diallo. That does not mean that they will not appear on the day, especially because each this season has delivered at a big moment or two. However, there are enough examples that they do not meet the goal to express their concern about their ability to perform on Wednesday.