Tottenham will face Manchester United in the final match of the 2024-25 edition of the UEFA Europa League, as the two English giants have their last chance to play Champions League soccer if they win on Wednesday at the San Mames in Bilbao live on Paramount+. Spurs are chasing a first European trophy since 1984 and haven't won a title since the League Cup in 2008, while United are hoping to repeat their 2017 triumph in the second all-English final of the Europa League era. Both teams are also dealing with injuries, as it was underlined by both managers Ange Postecoglou and Ruben Amorim ahead of the final on Tuesday.
Postecoglou said, "It is a great prize. You know the significance of Champions League qualification and what comes with it. You get to play against the best on the continent. But the club has been in the Champions League before, they have not won a trophy for a long time - so that is the most important thing."
Spurs captain Son was back in the team last week and started for the first time in weeks over the weekend and will also start against Manchester United. "He is so important to the group. He is so important as a leader and he is such an important figure at this football club. It would be great to cap his career off with a trophy for him."
Tottenham midfielder Lucas Bergvall has been ruled out while Pape Matar Sarr is fit, though, overcoming a back issue that prompted a scare when he was withdrawn during the defeat to Aston Villa last Friday. James Maddison as also been declared unavailable, while several players are ineligible, including Antonin Kinsky, Fraser Forster, Timo Werner and former Manchester United fullback Sergio Reguilon. Former Juventus winger Dejan Kulusevski has also joined Radu Dragusin and Dane Scarlett on the injurey list and will miss the Europa League final on Wednesday.
How to watch Europa League final
- Date: Wednesday, May 21 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: San Mames -- Bilbao, Spain
- TV: CBS Sports Network | Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Tottenham +188; Draw +223; Man United +143
Manchester United's Ruben Amorim, on the other hand, was surprised to see Dutch striker Joshua Zirkzee recovering back in time for the final, saying, "So they recover quite well. They push, of course, and we have to respect the feeling of the player but we push a little bit, as they wanted to be part of the team. That is a very good sign. Very good for us. Of course, they are limited in the minutes for the game but they can help us win the game".
Predicted lineups
Tottenham Hotspur XI: Guglielmo Vicario; Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie; Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Sarr; Brennan Johnson, Dominic Solanke, Heung-Min Son.
Manchester United XI: Andre Onana; Victor Nilsson Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Leny Yoro, Noussair Mazraoui; Manuel Ugarte, Casemiro, Patrick Dorgu; Amad Diallo, Bruno Fernandes, Rasmus Hojlund.
