Gary Neville has revealed that one factor which gives him confidence that Man United will beat Tottenham in the Europa League final, even though they have had a poor season.
Tottenham Hotspur and Man United both find themselves in a very similar situation. They have both had disastrous campaigns domestically and need to win the Europa League to salvage their campaign.
Additionally, Postecoglou also needs to win the trophy for his own future. While winning the Europa League may not guarantee Postecoglou will stay, losing it will almost certainly mean his time at Spurs will run out this summer.
There is also the small matter of Champions League football on offer to the winner, with the extra revenue from the competition being crucial to both clubs ahead of the summer window.
Gary Neville is confident but has a ‘sickly feeling’ about the final
Given how big the stakes are, Neville admitted that he is nervous ahead of the showpiece event in Bilbao.
However, the pundit expects the Red Devils to get the job done on the night of the final, pointing out that United have a habit of winning silverware even during tough seasons.
When asked for his thoughts on Tottenham vs Man United, the pundit told BBC Sport: “Roy Keane called it a great game the other day. That is what Roy would think. My mentality is different. I was a right-back.
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“You know the only thing you can do is lose your team the game. Unless you are Trent Alexander-Arnold, you are unlikely to win your team a game as a right-back.
“It is a huge game. The consequences are massive. I have a sickly feeling in my stomach about this game as a United fan, purely because of what is at stake.
“But I am confident. Manchester United have an uncanny knack, even in difficult times and bad times – and this has been a really bad season – of picking up trophies.
“That is not a bad habit to have as a football club. They still get to finals and do things even though the league form has been awful – and it has been a terrible season.”
Does history matter for Tottenham vs Manchester United?
A lot of pundits seem to be basing their opinion on the contrasting records in the finals of Spurs and Man United over the last two decades.
However, that might have very little bearing on the game, as the current sets of players do not necessarily carry the scars or the winning legacy of old Tottenham or United sides.
One can be sure that it will be a very intense affair at San Mames, with both teams appear to be peaking at the right time.