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Tottenham Hotspur face Manchester United in the Europa League final in Bilbao with both clubs hoping to salvage some pride after disappointing campaigns.
After a harrowing experience in the Premier League for both clubs with a combined 39 defeats leaving them 16th and 17th in the table, as both sets of supporters bid to overcome limited travel options to watch the game in the Basque Country.
Ange Postecoglou boldly claimed he “always wins” a trophy in his second year in charge of clubs, while the Red Devils are unbeaten in Europe and have enjoyed a thrilling ride throughout the knockout stages. After victory over Ajax to win this competition in 2017, United fell to Villarreal on penalties in the 2021 final.
And United have not beaten Spurs in their last six matches, with three successive losses, but Ruben Amorim’s side can boost hopes of a successful summer transfer window with victory here.
Follow all the latest team news and updates from chief football writer Miguel Delaney in Bilbao, with both managers and players set to speak ahead of Wednesday’s game:
Will Diogo Dalot be fit for the final?
Manchester United have plenty of injury concerns and a big one if the fitness of versatile full-back Diogo Dalot.
Dalot has been absent from the most recent block of games with a calf injury obtained on Easter Sunday.
United head coach Ruben Amorim refused to rule Dalot out for the remainder of the season and on Wednesday last week, the defender was spotted doing an individual training session at Carrington before the main group session took place.
Amorim said: "Dalot is trying really bad. I don't want to risk Dalot, when you start getting one injury, a second injury is a big thing. We cannot have these kind of problems in our squad. He's working really hard to get in the final."
Mike Jones20 May 2025 11:00
Football fans face paying thousands of pounds for Europa League final trips
Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur supporters booking last-minute trips to the Europa League final are being charged thousands of pounds.
Direct return flights from the UK to Bilbao in northern Spain cost from more than £1,000, hotel rooms are at least £1,200, while match tickets are available on resale websites from about £500.
The final kicks off at 9pm local time (8pm BST) on Wednesday.
Football fans face paying thousands of pounds for Europa League final trips
Direct return flights from the UK to Bilbao in northern Spain cost from more than £1,000, while hotel rooms are at least £1,200.
Mike Jones20 May 2025 10:50
Spurs feeling confident
“The truth is we have very good feelings. Ignoring the Premier League, we are feeling good, the job the team has done in Europe has been enormous and I think we feel we’re in a good place. Those feelings have to carry over to the day of the final now,” Pedro Porro explained.
“It would be a dream because as we already know when I arrived here, we knew it had been a long time since we had won a trophy here.
“So, it would be very, very important for us and for me personally it would be a story of faith. Something I dreamt of ever since I was little. It’s my first European final and everyone in the world would have motivation for that.”
Mike Jones20 May 2025 10:40
'Every game is different'
Pedro Porro doesn’t think Tottenham’s poor league for or the fact they have already beaten Man Utd this season will have any bearing on the outcome of tomorrow’s match.
“Let’s see, every game has a world of its own, right? Playing in a final is very different from playing a league game because it involves a lot of factors,” he said.
“Football is a world of its own and I think we are focused on that point. We know every game is different, especially a final where anything can happen.
“I don’t think they’ve lost in the Europa League. They’re a very good team, with a very good coach no?
“In the end they haven’t had the luck in the Premier League, it’s like us isn’t it? But we’re two teams that know how to deliver and it’s going to be a very beautiful final. I hope we’re the happy ones at the end.”
Mike Jones20 May 2025 10:30
Porro praises Amorim
Tottenham full-back Pedro Porro admits Manchester United’s “magnificent coach” Ruben Amorim helped his football explode at Sporting Lisbon.
“When I arrived (at Sporting), it was a little bit difficult for me but like everything in football, sometimes it’s hard at first right? Things in life don’t always go the way you want them to but when I got there, the truth is I had a lot of help from him,” Porro explained.
“And at that moment, my football exploded. To be honest I’m really grateful to him for that.
“I worked with him for three years and he’s a magnificent coach. I know him very well. It’s the way he treats the players.
“He always spoke to me as a person, it’s not just how he treated me from a football perspective. The way he works on the pitch is also very good but in this case, I hope I’m the happy one.”
Mike Jones20 May 2025 10:20
The farcical and fragile moments behind Manchester United’s lucky Europa League run
One of the largest clubs in the world has reached the Europa League final. Furnished with one of the biggest budgets in the game, in a year when their transfer outlay exceeded £230m, they arguably started the Europa League as favourites, finished third in the group stage, and are the only unbeaten side in all three European competitions.
It makes it sound simple. Manchester United being Manchester United, it has not been. But, they have flirted with ignominy time and again and stand on the brink of triumph.
The farcical and fragile moments behind Man United’s lucky Europa League run
They can argue they earned their luck with indefatigability, moments of inspiration, and individuals delivering in improbable ways
Richard Jolly20 May 2025 10:10
Manchester United's route to the final
On paper a tough tie but in reality the easiest battle in the knockout rounds for Man Utd.
Semi-finals: Athletic Bilbao – 3-0 (a); 4-1 (h); 7-1 on aggregate
The Premier League side sealed their place in the final by overcoming Bilbao, whose San Mames stadium was stunned as Ruben Amorim oversaw a famous away win.
Athletic flew out the blocks in the first leg but imploded after Casemiro put United ahead in the 30th minute, with Bruno Fernandes keeping his cool to score from the spot after Dani Vivian saw red for bringing down Rasmus Hojlund.
The nerveless captain added another before the break to complete a 3-0 victory for the Red Devils, who bounced back from Mikel Jaureguizar’s brilliant opener in the reverse fixture.
Substitute Mason Mount settled nerves through his fantastic turn and finish, with Casemiro and Rasmus Hojlund scoring before the United midfielder scored a stunner from distance.
Mike Jones20 May 2025 09:58
Manchester United's route to the final
Another tricky tie for the Red Devils was made worse by the loose lips of Andre Onana in the build up as he fought a war of words with Lyon midfielder (and former Man Utd player) Nemanja Matic before the first leg.
Quarter-finals: Lyon – 2-2 (a); 5-4 (AET) (h); 7-6 on aggregate after extra-time
Andre Onana endured a nightmare first leg in France, where his barny with Lyon midfielder Nemanja Matic was followed by him all-too easily allowing in a Thiago Almada free-kick.
Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee put United ahead, but the under-fire goalkeeper parried the ball into the path of Rayan Cherki to level in stoppage-time.
A scarcely-believable second leg followed at Old Trafford. Manuel Ugarte and Diogo Dalot first-half efforts had United in control, only for the visitors to score four without reply.
Corentin Tolisso and Nicolas Tagliafico goals in quick succession took the match to extra-time, when Lyon kicked on despite Tolisso’s sending off for two bookable offences as Cherki and Alexandre Lacazette rocked the home side.
But Ruben Amorim’s men dug deep as a Bruno Fernandes penalty was followed by Kobbie Mainoo’s excellent 120th-minute leveller and Harry Maguire’s match-winning header moments later.
Mike Jones20 May 2025 09:51
Manchester United's route to the final
Following United’s unbeaten run through the group stages Ruben Amorim’s men where given a tough tough against Spanish side Real Sociedad in the round of 16.
Last 16: Real Sociedad – 1-1 (a); 4-1 (h); 5-2 on aggregate
Absentee-hit United failed to turn a positive performance into victory in San Sebastian, where Joshua Zirkzee put the visitors into a deserved lead only for Mikel Oyarzabal to level from the spot with the hosts’ first shot on target.
The VAR spotted a handball from Bruno Fernandes, whose second-leg hat-trick inspired an eye-catching comeback win against 10-man Real Sociedad.
Oyarzabal’s second penalty of the tie had given United a scare, before the captain’s treble and a Diogo Dalot effort in the second leg sent them through with ease.
Mike Jones20 May 2025 09:44
Manchester United's route to the final
Despite suffering one of their worst ever seasons in the English top-flight, Manchester United have been incredible in Europe this season.
They are yet to lose a game and if they are successful against Tottenham in the final it will prove to be one of the best European campaigns in recent history.
But will they prove to be worthy Europa League champions?
Here’s a look at how they reached the final in Bilbao:
Group stage: Man Utd – third of 36 teams, 18pts
United made an inauspicious start to the new-look group phase under Erik ten Hag, whose former club Twente secured a shock 1-1 Old Trafford draw in September.
Harry Maguire’s late goal saw the 10-man Red Devils record a 3-3 draw at Porto the following month, before Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce held them to a 1-1 stalemate in Turkey.
After Ten Hag was sacked, interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy oversaw the end of United’s 380-day wait for a European win by beating PAOK 2-0 at Old Trafford, where Ruben Amorim took charge for the first time in the hard-fought 3-2 triumph against eventual semi-finalists Bodo/Glimt.
United followed that up with 2-1 wins away to Viktoria Plzen and at home to Rangers, before rounding things off with a 2-0 victory over FCSB in Romania as they avoided the knockout phase play-offs.
Mike Jones20 May 2025 09:37