Here we go- the match that some have dubbed “El Trashico” or “The Being Mid Cup.” Laugh all you want, and you should, but the winner here gets both a trophy and a berth in the Champions League for next season. So if defenders Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt and Diogo Dalot can find a way to play through the pain on Wednesday night, they most certainly will.
Yoro (foot), De Ligt (knee) and Dalot (calf) are all strong doubts to make the matchday squad here, but, you never know.
Europa League Final FYIs
Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur
Kickoff: Wed May 21, 9pm, Estadio San Mames, Bilbao, Spain, televised in the USA on CBS Sports Network
Team News: Tottenham Hotspur Man United
Starting XI Predictions: Tottenham Hotspur Man United
Fun Fact: According to PremierInjuries.com, Tottenham have suffered 38 injuries this season, leading to 1,414 days of service time lost. Both of these numbers rank the third highest in the league.
For United, it’s 30 injuries (fifth most), and 1,229 days (seventh highest) lost.
Man United Team News
Of the group, Dalot is thought to have the best chance. He is certainly a difference maker, as is Yoro.
Two guys with no chance at featuring at all here are Lisandro Martinez (knee) and Joshua Zirkzee (hamstring). Other than that, United have no other fitness concerns. They do have plenty of other general/overall concerns.
They’re taking on a side that’s already beaten them three times this season, with an aggregate goal differential of 8-3.
United can boast of the fourth highest revenue, the seventh highest wage bill and the largest overall transfer window net spend since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, in all of world football.
Yet they’ll enter Championship Sunday sitting 16th in the Premier League table; only two slots above the relegation zone.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter