Spurs and Man Utd gear up for Bilbao – Talking points for Europa League final | OneFootball

Tottenham and Manchester United go head to head in Wednesday’s all-or-nothing Europa League final at San Mames.

Here, the PA news agency picks out some of the key talking points.

Make-or-break final for Premier League strugglers

It would not have been wild at the start of the season to suggest Spurs and United would be in the showpiece, yet few could have predicted just what a shambolic state these sides would stumble to Spain in. The Red Devils sit 16th with just a game left of their worst domestic top-flight season since suffering relegation in 1973-74, while the north Londoners are a point and place further back having suffered a 21st Premier League loss on Friday. The Europa League has naturally taken precedence over domestic matters for both embattled clubs in recent weeks, with glory in Bilbao offering both stuttering sides silverware and Champions League qualification.

Can Spurs end 17-year trophy drought?

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou raised eyebrows at the start of the season by saying he always won things in his second year – a factual comment that frequently cropped up during a desperate domestic campaign. The Europa League has offered some solace and now provides the opportunity for Spurs to win their first trophy since lifting the League Cup in 2008, and a first continental title since their 1984 UEFA Cup triumph. There are suggestions Europa League glory may not be enough to save Postecoglou’s job, but it would be quite the way for the Australian to sign off.

Can Amorim alleviate pressure and aid rebuild?

Ruben Amorim has produced more eye-catching quotes (numerous) than Premier League wins (six) since succeeding Erik ten Hag in November. Despite that, United fans have stuck behind the candid Portuguese coach in a campaign where the Europa League has offered some relief and hope. But their much-needed rebuild will be hugely damaged if they fall to their first European loss of the season at San Mames, meaning they would spend a first season without European football since 2014-15. It has long been a case of Bilbao or bust for United, where the financial ramifications help explain why Amorim says Champions League qualification is more important to him than lifting the Europa League itself.

Bilbao braces for a full English

The Basque Country will welcome hordes of English fans as supporters take all manner of weird and wonderful routes to the final. Fan behaviour is unsurprisingly a hot topic in Spain, where additional checks greeted arrivals at Bilbao airport. Local media’s fears of potential trouble when United played the semi-final at Athletic Bilbao earlier this month unsurprisingly proved unfounded, but fans from two English clubs descending on the area – many without tickets – raises different questions. The Basque government’s security minister Bingen Zupiria admitted being “nervous”, but the previous all-Premier League final in Spain went off smoothly as Tottenham lost the Champions League showpiece to Liverpool in 2019.