Time flies and it’s now suddenly four years since the last time Manchester United picked up a trophy. Wednesday’s meeting with Villarreal in the Europa League final offers an opportunity to end the drought, but the Red Devils will face a side that has already knocked out one Premier League giant in Arsenal.
There have been 3.09 goals per game throughout the years in the Europa League final and bookmaker 10Bet has the odds at 2.00 for another high-scoring affair with at least three goals scored in Gdansk.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: May 25th, 7:00 P.M. (EST)
The Yellow Submarine took down Arsenal 2-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals extending their unbeaten run in the competition to 14 games. In fact, Villarreal is sitting on a 23-game unbeaten run in the Europa League against sides that aren’t from Spain.
The Spanish clubs have, of course, dominated the Europa League with both Sevilla and Atletico Madrid picking up multiple trophies. Villarreal’s current boss Unai Emery oversaw three consecutive Sevilla victories in 2014-2016.
Emery is finishing off his first year at the club and it could be seen as a huge success if he manages to bring home a trophy from Poland. He has won 31 of 57 matches while in charge so far with 15 draws and 11 losses.
Villarreal were the fourth-highest scoring team in La Liga this season and Gerard Moreno will look to bag his 30th goal of the campaign on Wednesday. The Spanish international has scored in three of his last four outings and United have to keep a close watch on him.
The United defense has received a major blow ahead of the big night in Gdansk as Harry Maguire didn’t take part in the team’s final training session and he’s set to miss the game. The team has conceded eight goals in four matches since he was forced off with a leg injury against Aston Villa on May 9.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will hope that his strike force will be sharp enough to make up for the shortcomings at the back and Bruno Fernandes will lead the charge. He’s crushed it in the competition throughout his career notching 19 goals and 14 assists in 32 outings.
United will look to become the fourth team to win multiple Europa League trophies after knocking off Ajax 2-0 in the 2017 final. The club’s overall record in European finals stands at seven wins and six losses.
