It’s the 4th time in the previous 6 years that we have seen an English Premier League team reach the Europa League Final and the 8th time within the previous 12 years we have seen a Spanish La Liga side in the Finals. This will be the first time since 2016 that a Spanish and English team will clash in the final, so can the “Yellow Submarine” of Villarreal overcome the dominance of the “Red Devils” in this European clash?
Wednesday, May 26th, 2021 – 3:00PM EDT at Stadion Miejski
The Red Devils have been made clear favorites to lift this year’s Europa League trophy following a strong campaign which seen them finish 2nd in the Premier League. They have proved too strong for the opposition they have faced in the lead up to this year’s final, with a 4-0 win over Real Sociedad in the round of 32, they followed that up with a 2-1 win over Ac Milan in the last 16. Another Spanish side was to meet them in the quarter finals as they faced a tough Granada side, but they ultimately swept them 4-0 on aggregate to reach the Semi Finals in which they disposed of another Italian side, AS Roma 8-5 on aggregate.
All in All United have beaten Spanish opposition 8-0 on aggregate in the lead up to this years final, should this be a concern for Villarreal, who finished just 2 places above Granada and 2 places below Real Sociedad in the league table.
United could be without centre back Harry McGuire, which is a major concern given how defensively solid he has been this season. United have looked ruthless throughout their Europa League campaign and should be full of confidence in their ability to win in the final, the key word here is confidence, if united come into this game full of it, they should have no issues in our opinion, but if they start to doubt themselves or Villarreal start causing them problems, they could become lacklustre.
Villarreal competed in the group stages of this year’s competition and topped their group before beating the likes of RB Salzburg, Dinamo Kiev, and Dinamo Zagreb in the knockout stages before facing English opposition in the form of Arsenal in the Semi-finals.
Villarreal boss, Unai Emery had previously managed Arsenal and not only was this a team in his way to finals, but he also had a bone to pick with his former employers, and he did just that as they disposed of the Gunners 2-1 on aggregate to reach the finals. Villarreal have not lost a match in this years tournament, which could bode well for them as underdogs in this years final.
Emery is a bit of a specialist in this competition and has managed to reach the finals on 4 occasion, winning three in a row with Sevilla between 2014 and 2016. He also came runner up in 2019 with Arsenal.
Villarreal have some strong options in the front line, with Gerard Morena and Paco Alcacer, both strikers have combined for 29 goals this season. They also have another dangerous striker on the bench in the form of Colombian, Carlos Bacca. 35 year old veteran defender has been solid as a rock this season, as well as 24 year old Pau Torres. Villarreal’s midfield is full of defence minded midfields, which is why they are so hard to break down. One of their best attack minded midfielders will unfortunately be unavailable to play as he is injured for the final, it’s a shame because Samuel Chukwueze has been exciting to watch going forward this season.
This will be an absolute cracking match; it has the potential to be more exciting than the Champions League final and we could see some goals and possibly plenty of cards in this one. Man Utd will look towards Bruno Fernandes to take control of this game; Fernandes has 18 goals and 12 assists in 37 games. Uruguayan striker, Edison Cavani is also in good form for the Red Devils and has scored 8 goals in his last 10 appearances. Whilst Villarreal’s Morena and Alcacer have combined for 12 goals in this seasons competition. This game is hard to call, and we believe Villarreal are slightly overpriced at +375, but at the same time think United might just prove to be a little too strong for the Spanish side. We like cards and goals here as well as a potential Man Utd win in regulation.
Europa League Pick: Both Teams Over 1.5 Cards at +110 with The Best Online Sportsbooks
Europa League Pick: Either Team To Win By 1 Goal at +140 with The Best Online Sportsbooks
Europa League Pick: Over 2.5 Goals at +110 with BetOnline
Europa League Pick: Cavani To Score Anytime +175 with Intertops