Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United are in Bilbao for today’s 2025 Europa League final.
The two Premier League clubs have underperformed domestically this season — but victory today would not only bring a shiny trophy, but also lead to a place in next season's Champions League.
United have won the Europa League before once, in 2017, while Tottenham won it twice — when it was named the UEFA Cup — in 1972 and 1984.
Kick-off time: 8pm BST, 3pm ET
How to watch: TNT Sports, Discovery+ (UK), CBS Sports Network, Paramount+ (U.S.)
Streaming: Fubo (try for free)
Team news: Maddison and Kulusevski injured; Yoro and Dalot fit
It has been a dreadful season for both of the managers in the dugouts at San Mames this evening.
Ruben Amorim inherited a mess left by Erik ten Hag and the string of managers before him while it has just got progressively worse for Tottenham under Ange Postecoglou.
But as we saw with Ten Hag last season, a late trophy was enough to rescue his job — not that it ended very well a few months later!
So could that be the same for Amorim and Postecoglou today?
I spent this morning thinking about which past Tottenham player I would parachute into this team if I had that power.
I’m limiting it only to players who I’ve seen play in person. Who would give this side what it needs to make me feel more confident? Luka Modric’s passing would be a virtue. Michael Carrick, Rafael van der Vaart, and Moussa Dembele would all solve issues.
I’m picking Paul Gascoigne, though. Could carry, could create, and could pose problems that I don’t think this Manchester United team are equipped to solve.
I've seen this game billed as one that will define both of these teams' fortunes for the next few years. Clearly there's a lot at stake but I remember similarly apocalyptic things being said about the last time Spurs had what was effectively a Champions League playoff — against Arsenal in 2022 (I know tonight is not about that for Spurs fans, but it is what people are talking about when they refer to how much is at stake in a wider sense).
On that occasion, Spurs won the game and the Champions League prize and it did absolutely nothing for their fortunes, while the team they defeated, who had supposedly been subjected to Europa purgatory for evermore, then had their best season in years.
Maybe this is just a way of trying to ease some nerves ahead of tonight, but I think it's perfectly possible one of these teams loses tonight and has a good season next year, and vice versa.
That said, what really matters for Spurs fans tonight is winning a trophy, not the wider context. And sorry there's no way of soothing any nerves there — it promises to be an excruciatingly tense game.
Tottenham will definitely need to spend in the summer to fill out their squad if they qualify for the Champions League. A lot of the injury issues they have suffered can be traced back to the lack of rotation at the beginning of the season. Postecoglou clearly felt like he did not have enough quality options to make regular changes to keep players fresh.
There are some talented players within the squad who either have Champions League experience or should seamlessly adapt to playing at a higher level including Van de Ven, Romero, Solanke and Maddison. Difficult decisions will need to be made about the long-term futures of other players including Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur who both only have a year left on their contracts.
Should they stay or will Spurs seek an upgrade to help them thrive in the Champions League?
They have a lot of exciting players under the age of 23, including Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert, Lucas Bergvall and Mathys Tel, but expecting them to perform every week in Europe’s elite competition might be too much.
They have needed help this season and it is important Spurs give it to them in the future.
United can expect to earn around £80m from winning this final even if they crash out of next season's Champions League at the first hurdle, with even more in performance-related bonuses on offer depending on how far they progress.
When you consider that — as Sir Jim Ratcliffe revealed — they will write a cheque for £89m this summer to pay for players they've already signed, that is vital revenue that help free up funds for the squad rebuild Amorim still requires.
United have spent like a Champions League club but on a Europa League budget for years now, hence why Ratcliffe has believed it necessary to cut costs across the board, resulting in up to 450 job losses.
Returning to European football's top table would at least help stem the flow of money pouring out of Old Trafford, with the hope that is spent more wisely moving forward.
Today's victor will take home the shiny trophy and will also secure a place in next season's Champions League.
For fans, the memories of another famous European night are what matters most. For the club's accountants, the promise of PSR wiggle room that comes with elite European football is the stand-out reward.
Manchester United's finances are better documented than those of any other sports team in the world, so I think everyone knows by now just how desperately they need that Champions League money.
Tottenham's frugal nature on the transfer front means they don't need that cash injection, but boy would it help!
With his blistering pace and razor-sharp finishing, Son has been a devastating force in Tottenham’s attack since arriving for £22million ($29.3m) from Bayer Leverkusen in August 2015. Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp listed missing out on Son as “one of the biggest mistakes in my life”.
But Son has not been at his electrifying best this season. He has scored just seven league goals and is on course for his first single-digit tally since his debut season.
The way Postecoglou has used Son helps explain his dip in form. Last season, playing him as an out-and-out centre-forward reignited his goalscoring touch after a turbulent 2022-23 campaign, when Tottenham finished eighth and rattled through three managers in two months following Antonio Conte’s departure in March.
But this season, Son has been moved back to the left of the attack following the arrival of £65m striker Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth. So Son’s declining potency might go beyond tactics.
Read more below
Injuries have been a recurring theme for Tottenham this season, so it is no surprise to see that a string of very badly timed problems have come up in the build-up to today's Europa League final.
Ange Postecoglou will be without arguably his first-choice midfield as Lucas Bergvall, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison are all unavailable. Timo Werner and Radu Dragusin are also injured so will not feature today.
The good news for them is that Son Heung-min started for the first time in over a month in Friday night's defeat to Aston Villa.
Hello…from Gatwick airport!
I am heading to Lisbon. The final is in Lisbon right? It’s Bilbao? Oh!
Well Ruben Amorim grew up in Lisbon so maybe I’ll find some of his family and friends who are watching the final too.
Wrong, again Charlotte!
It appears Amorim’s faithful army are all descending onto Bilbao to show their support. Some friends and former team-mates have grouped together on a road trip, making the nine-hour journey by car while others are having lunch with Amorim’s family in Bilbao, a rare chance to meet up. One joked they should send their ticket invoice to Amorim after the United boss paid for the club’s staff members to attend the final.
I'm hoping to track down some Sporting fans who have stayed faithful to their former head coach but let's see how that one goes. After all, they won the league with Rui Borges on Sunday. Amorim...is he dead to them?
Diogo Dalot had a message for the Manchester United supporters when he spoke to BBC Radio Manchester on Friday.
💬 “We will do whatever we can to find that win and to bring you that trophy because you deserve it. More than anything, I think you deserve the best because you have been suffering a lot throughout this season with us.
“I know that winning this competition is important, so I'm sure everybody in the dressing room and all of the staff know that we carry that weight with us.
“Together I think we are much stronger than people think.”
Zirkzee, Yoro and Dalot's returns are a huge boost to Amorim, meaning that only De Ligt is now the only doubt alongside long-term absentee Lisandro Martinez.
Zirkzee's return is the biggest surprise. The 23-year-old's hamstring injury had threatened to rule him out for the rest of the season but he revealed last week — on Alphonso Davies' Twitch stream no less — that a return for the final was 'difficult, but not impossible'.
Whether he is ready for minutes is a different question, though.
Dalot was hopeful of returning in time from a calf injury when speaking at United's pre-final media day last week, while Yoro's potential availability is a relief after coming off in worrying circumstances in the recent defeat to West Ham United.
They weren't the only new additions at open training — of sorts. Alejandro Garnacho has a new peroxide blonde haircut for the big occasion.
There were timely returns to training yesterday for Diogo Dalot, Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee as it had been tough-and-go as to whether the trio would be fit for today's final.
That said, it is unclear how much of the game they will be to play while Matthijs de Ligt is still injured and will not feature.
He joins Lisandro Martinez in watching from the stands or from the television.
The other big boost in the last few weeks has been the return of Amad who will surely start today if he is fully fit.
The prospect of facing Athletic Club in the semi-final led many to believe that United had run out of road in the Europa League. And the Spaniards started strongly in front of their own fans in the first leg at San Mames, the site of tomorrow's final.
But they were soon behind as Casemiro headed in from close range to give the visitors the lead. It was a lead they would add to before half-time after Daniel Vivian was sent off for pulling Rasmus Hojlund down in the penalty area.
Bruno Fernandes converted from 12 yards and then scored again on the stroke of the break, giving United a 3-0 lead to take back to Old Trafford.
There was brief panic in that second leg when Mikel Jauregizar gave the visitors the lead but the hosts rallied and ultimately ran out big winners.
Goals from Mason Mount (2), Casemiro and Hojlund made it 4-1 on the night and 7-1 on aggregate.
Athletic Club 0-3 Manchester United (Casemiro, Fernandes x2)
Manchester United 4-1 Athletic Club (Mount x2, Casemiro, Mount)
There's leaving it late — and then there's United's quarter-final second-leg win over Lyon.
Before that, they had drawn 2-2 in France with a couple of late goals from Rayan Cherki and Joshua Zirkzee before the bonkers game at Old Trafford.
There, United started strongly thanks to an early goal from Manuel Ugarte, and they doubled their advantage through Diogo Dalot just before half-time.
They looked to be cruising... but two goals in seven minutes from Corentin Tolisso and Nicolas Tagliafico brought the visitors level.
In extra time, Rayan Cherki gave the visitors — who were down to 10 men — the lead before an Alexandre Lacazette penalty put United on the brink of an embarrassing exit.
But Bruno Fernandes scored a spot kick, Kobbie Mainoo equalised off the bench, and auxiliary striker Harry Maguire headed home just seconds later to seal a hugely dramatic stoppage-time victory.
Lyon 2-2 Manchester United (Yoro, Zirkzee)
Manchester United 5-4 (AET) Lyon (Ugarte, Dalot, Fernandes, Mainoo, Maguire)