Villarreal vs Man Utd: Europa League final preview, TV channel, live stream, team news & prediction
Manchester United face Villarreal in the 2021 Europa League final in Gdansk on Wednesday night.
For United it represents a chance to win a first trophy under the leadership of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Villarreal, meanwhile, are in a major European final for the first time and will hope the experience of Unai Emery in this competition will be an advantage.
Here’s a look at everything you need to know abut the Europa League final…
What TV channel is the Europa League final on?
What time is kick off? 20.00 (BST), 21.00 (CEST), 15.00 (ET) - Wednesday 26 May
Where is the game being played? Stadion Miejski, Gdansk, Poland
How to watch on TV in UK & US: BT Sport 1 (UK), fuboTV & CBS Sports (US)
Referee: Clement Turpin (FRA)
VAR: Francois Letexier (FRA)
How they reached the final
United started the 2020/21 European season in the Champions League, finishing third in their group behind Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig as a result of back-to-back defeats on matchday five and six. That meant dropping into the Europa League for the knockout stages.
They were comfortable 4-0 aggregate winners over Real Sociedad in the last 32, before scraping past AC Milan in the last 16 thanks to a decisive Paul Pogba goal at San Siro.
Granada posed little threat in the quarter-finals and United won 2-0 home and away against the Spaniards, with a 6-2 semi-final first leg win over Roma to follow in the next round. United went on to lose 3-2 in the return leg, but held on to their overall lead to win 8-5 on aggregate.
Villarreal, meanwhile, started out in the Europa League group stage and went on to top Group I ahead of Maccabi Tel Aviv, Sivasspor and Qarabag. They were awarded a 3-0 win in their final game against Qarabag after a coronavirus outbreak at the Azerbaijani club, but qualification for the knockouts had already long been secure.
In the early knockout stages, the Spaniards beat Red Bull Salzburg and Dynamo Kyiv 4-1 and 4-0 on aggregate respectively. They then made relatively light work of a Dinamo Zagreb side that had previously stunned Tottenham, while a 2-1 win over Arsenal secured a place in the final.
Head-to-head record
United and Villarreal have met on four previous occasions and neither team has ever scored a goal.
The first set of games between the pair were in the 2005/06 Champions League group stage, with both games finishing 0-0. United were eliminated at the group stage that season, while Villarreal got all the way to the semi-finals, losing to Arsenal.
They were drawn into the same Champions League group again in 2008/09 and, for the second time, both games ended 0-0. In that season, United went on to reach the final and Villarreal got to the quarter-finals, where they were beaten again by Arsenal, as in 2006.
Man Utd team news & predicted lineup
United are expected to be without Harry Maguire as a result of an ankle injury he suffered in the Premier League game against Aston Villa just over two weeks ago. The captain has travelled with the squad just in case he is fit enough, although it seems unlikely.
Scott McTominay and Fred have overcome recent minor knocks but Anthony Martial has not made the trip to Poland. Solskjaer’s biggest selection headache may be how he gets his best attacking stars into the same team without disrupting the overall balance.
Predicted XI: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Tuanzebe, Shaw; McTominay, Fred, Fernandes; Rashford, Cavani, Pogba
Villarreal team news & predicted lineup
Nigerian winger Samuel Chukwueze, who has been on United’s radar ahead of this summer, and Argentine centre-back Juan Foyth are both doubts with hamstring injuries. Midfielder Vicente Iborra, once of Leicester, is a long-term absentee after an ACL rupture in December.
United fans will take a particular interest in centre-back Pau Torres, who has been of long-term interest to the club. Etienne Capoue and Francis Coquelin are familiar former Premier League names in the Villarreal squad.
Predicted XI: Rulli; Gaspar, Albiol, Torres, Pedraza; Trigueros, Parejo, Capoue, Gomez; Bacca, Moreno
Prediction
This one has the potential to be a tense and tactical affair.
Villarreal are a well-drilled tactical team and Emery has obvious history in this competition after masterminding three consecutive triumphs while in charge of Sevilla.
But Solskjaer will be well aware that his squad has the edge in terms of talent and that United are favourites if they turn up and perform.
Prediction: Villarreal 1-2 Manchester United
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