Both Ange Postecoglou and Ruben Amorim have some key decisions to make for the Europa League final and that is why the Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United predicted lineups are so hard to, well, predict.
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Wednesday’s Europa League final couldn’t be any bigger for these two clubs as they aim to save their season by winning this trophy and qualifying for the Champions League in the process. Small decisions Ange and Amorim make will have a huge impact, and there are so many different ways they could go with their team lineup from the start, plus planning for when subs will come in will be crucial.
Spurs have limited options in the central attacking midfield areas due to recent injuries, while the fitness of captain Heung-min Son continues to cause a problem. Will he start out wide? Will Mathys Tel or Richarlison get the nod instead?
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Manchester United now have a wealth of options in the wing-back roles and in the attacking midfield positions. But who from Alejandro Garnacho, Mason Mount and Amad Diallo will start alongside captain Bruno Fernandes in one of the No 10 positions?
Below we take a look at the Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United predicted lineups with team news and analysis ahead of a massive final in Bilbao.
Tottenham Hotspur predicted lineup, team news, analysis
——- Vicario ——-
—- Porro —- Romero —- Van de Ven —- Udogie —-
—— Bissouma —— Sarr ——
—- Johnson —- Bentancur —- Son ——
——- Solanke ——-
Vicario will start in goal and the back four is sorted and it is Spurs’ first-choice defensive quartet which is a huge bonus given the issues they’ve had all season long with injuries at the back. But they haven’t been as lucky with injuries in midfield. Postecoglou has lost trio Lucas Bergvall, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison to injury over the last few weeks and that has ripped the creative hub out of Spurs. How are they going to keep hold of the ball to try and control the tempo of the game? They either don’t try to do that and just keep attacking (very possible) or they deploy Rodrigo Bentancur further forward as a No. 10 with Bissouma and Sarr winning it back and getting the ball to Bentancur as quick as possible. That seems the most likely option as the Uruguayan can get on the ball, make key passes through to Spurs’ speedy forwards and will help them keep the ball higher up the pitch. Ange could go with Wilson Odobert, Brennan Johnson or captain Heung-min Son in a more central role to really bamboozle United’s sometimes sluggish central midfield duo, but that seems like a move for later in the game if Spurs are chasing things. It’s very likely Johnson will start on the right, with Dominic Solanke nailed on to start up top and it’s key the latter drags Lindelof and Maguire around to make them uncomfortable. But who starts on the left? Son has battled back from injury just in time for the final and started at Aston Villa last week. But he hasn’t looked his usual dynamic self all season long. Do you start Son and ask him to go flat out for 60 minutes? Probably. Then you have Mathys Tel and Richarlison who can come on and have a big impact and that duo seem more likely to play a big role off the bench. Spurs will need Son’s leadership and defensive work out there for the first 60 minutes, at least, to give them a foothold in the game.
OUT: Dejan Kulusevski (knee - MORE), Dane Scarlett (groin), James Maddison (knee), Lucas Bergvall (ankle), Radu Dragusin (torn ACL - out for season), Timo Werner (hamstring)
Manchester United predicted lineup, team news, analysis
——- Onana ——-
—— Lindelof —— Maguire —— Shaw ——
—— Mazraoui —- Casemiro —- Ugarte —- Dorgu ——
—— Diallo —— Fernandes ——
——- Hojlund ——-
There are plenty of questions surrounding United’s lineup but like Spurs they have some key decisions to make in a couple of areas. At this point it seems like Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire as certain to start as two of the three center backs. But will Leny Yoro be fit to start alongside them? If not, Amorim has two options: Noussair Mazraoui or Luke Shaw. It will probably be Shaw. That’s because Mazraoui has been key at right wing-back but Diogo Dalot could return from injury. It’s unlikely he starts and Mazraoui should play at right wing-back as the Moroccan has given United defensive balance to limit the impact of counters. Amad Diallo could also line up at right wing-back but in United’s 3-4-2-1 system it is much better to start him higher up the pitch now he’s fit. In midfield the duo of Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte have formed a formidable partnership in this competition and it will suit them massively that Spurs are without the trio of Bergvall, Kulusevski and Maddison buzzing around them to create. Patrick Dorgu should continue as left wing-back, while the big decision for Amorim comes in one of the No. 10 roles. Both Mason Mount and Alejandro Garnacho have been key in recent weeks but Diallo has timed his return to fitness well and has looked so sharp since coming back from injury much earlier than expected. Given how good he’s been this season, it would be a shock if Diallo didn’t start alongside the brilliant Bruno Fernandes. Amorim needs both of them to create and get on the ball. To then have Garnacho and Mount to bring on to either create more chaos with Diallo moving to right wing-back if they’re searching for a goal, or stretch Spurs on the counter with Garnacho’s pace if United are ahead, is a great plan. Rasmus Hojlund will start up top once again and despite his struggles in front of goal he can cause problems with Spurs’ defensive line so high. If Hojlund can stretch Spurs with his powerful runs behind, that opens up a ton of space for Fernandes and Diallo to exploit.