Manchester United will take on Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final on Wednesday and the Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Gary Neville have all given their thoughts on the clash
Gary Neville is backing Manchester United to win the Europa League final, but Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer have tipped Tottenham Hotspur to be victorious. United and Tottenham have both endured disappointing Premier League campaigns this season.
The Red Devils currently sit 16th in the league and they are just one point above Spurs, with only the three relegated teams picking up less points. However, United and Tottenham could still qualify for next season's Champions League if they win the Europa League.
The two clubs will face off in Bilbao on Wednesday and a number of pundits have already made their predictions for the final. "I think United will win on Wednesday night," Neville said on Sky Sports ' Monday Night Football.
"Winning the Europa League would be the silver lining around a very dark cloud. To win a trophy should never be disrespected. It would be a brilliant achievement to win three trophies in three years in an era when United have been really poor.
"But to be where they are in the league is incredible. I think United will win. I think they've players in there that will feel that occasion. Bruno [Fernandes], Casemiro - want it, need it in their lives. I agree with the belief. I do feel confident on United just getting through this game."
Lineker, though, believes his former club Tottenham will get the job done after Crystal Palace won the FA Cup final and Newcastle lifted the Carabao Cup. "I'm going to have to go for Spurs, I couldn't not," Lineker said on The Rest is Football podcast.
"Well, I've got this feeling that it's the teams that have not won for ages this year. And I think they're going to, I don't know about 90 minutes or, I think it could easily go to extra time."
And Shearer is also backing Tottenham to beat United, with the former Premier League striker telling Betfair: "Both clubs need to win as badly as each other. You can't stress the importance of it for both clubs.
"The ramifications for not winning are disastrous, they really are. On the other hand, it should change everything going forward for whoever wins it. Spurs have done really well against United this season so, for that reason, I'd say Spurs should be slight favourites.
"This match is pretty impossible to predict when you look at how bad both teams have been. Spurs have done really well against United this season, so due to their record against them I'd say Spurs should be slight favourites.
"There are more negatives than positives for both teams when you look at them. I really haven't got a clue what to expect or what teams will turn up. It's a bit of a flip of a coin and it'll be a disaster for whoever doesn't win.
"Given what's at stake for both clubs, it could have an impact on the game. There's so much relying on both teams, managers and both clubs' short-term futures. There's no exaggeration that both teams need an injection of five or six players to try and compete again and that's why the stakes of this game are enormous.
"Just because of their record over the last five or six games against them, and particularly this season, I'll go for a Spurs win. It wouldn't surprise me if the game goes all the way to penalties, but I'll go for Spurs to win in normal time."