Massive all-England clash as Man United and Tottenham Hotspur square off in Europa League final on Paramount+
Happy UEFA Europa League final day! Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United are just hours away from kickoff in Bilbao, where they will play for a chance to find a true silver lining in a miserable season. You can tune in on CBS Sports Network and Paramount+ from 2 p.m. ET, with Roy Keane joining the broadcast team ahead of the first of several European club finals over the next two weeks. Until then, I'm Pardeep Cattry with the latest.
📺 Footy fixAll times U.S./Eastern
Wednesday, May 21🏆 Europa League: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester United, 3 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network, Paramount+🇺🇸 Open Cup: Philadelphia Union vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds, 7:30 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+🌎 CWCC: Tigres vs. Portland Thorns, 10:30 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network, Paramount+
⚽ The Forward Line⚪ Postecoglou advocates for himself in BilbaoThe context that surrounds Wednesday's Europa League final is definitely different than one would expect from a potentially momentous occasion.
As Spurs made the way from London to Bilbao, rumors about who might replace manager Ange Postecoglou for next season paused for no one. There's a feeling that Postecoglou might be out of a job even if he's the person to finally end Spurs' well-documented trophy drought, something the manager seems to be at peace with. There's a difference between accepting the realities of the profession, though, and accepting defeat and Postecoglou used his prematch remarks on Tuesday to advocate for himself and his vision for the team.
- Postecoglou: "I don't think my job is done here. I really feel like we are building something and what a trophy does is hopefully accelerate that. It is quite obvious with the challenges we've had this year, which are well chronicled, but there is some reasoning in the context of that. But also there has been some growth and I would like to see [that] through. Whether that happens or not is not that important right now, but I don't think this job is finished, far from it. I certainly feel there is some growth there, that we can take this club to where it needs to be."
Though their downward turn this season cannot be attributed to just one thing, the foundation of their poor run has been an injury crisis that will not quit, even for the Europa League final. Postecoglou will have to find solutions in midfield since Spurs will be without James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Bergvall, perhaps forcing him to demonstrate a tactical flexibility that some believe he does not have, though he has demonstrated it at times over the season. That is especially true in the Europa League, using the latter stages to maintain defensive structure with a depleted squad and oust Eintracht Frankfurt and Bodo/Glimt from the competition, two sides who could not find an advantage after the onus was placed on them to dictate play. It is a strategy that could, in theory, return for the final, but what version of Spurs shows up in Bilbao remains a big question.
The good news for Postecoglou, though, is that he will have Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven available to him. The center backs are foundational to the manager's approach no matter the tactics and have been sorely missing all season, playing just 18 games together during Spurs' 58 game campaign thus far. The numbers speak for themselves – Tottenham concede an average of 1.07 expected goals per game and let in 1.17 goals when they play, well below their seasonlong averages of 1.64 expected goals against and 1.47 goals against.
It all comes down to this...While this feels like a make or break moment for Postecoglou, Manchester United counterpart Ruben Amorim has his own point to prove.
Six months after taking charge of his first game at the club, things have not necessarily gotten better, a situation that feels primarily like a bad fit between the manager's style and the squad currently available to him. Job security is perhaps not as big a concern for him as it is for Postecoglou and the trophy drought Spurs carry is not a worry for United, either. Amorim carries the same hope that Postecoglou does, though – a win in Bilbao on Wednesday could also change the narrative for the Red Devils, who are now a decade-plus removed from a period of being serial winners.
- Amorim: "There are a lot of things we need to change. They way we do everything during the week at Carrington, the recruitment, the academy. It is hard to point to one thing and it will not be solved by winning the cup. … People will look at our team in a different way. It can help us to build a future. Our club can have revenues without the Champions League. It is a big club, a massive club but the feeling of winning can help give us the strength we need to do every job we need."
To ensure United has a shot at a bright future as soon as next season, though, Amorim has to find solutions that work now, which has not necessarily been a strength of his in the early months of his tenure. Like Postecoglou, he will also be without some key players like Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez, absences that will leave them vulnerable defensively. A big question for Amorim and company, though, is if the attack will show up. United are years into their search for their next reliable goalscorer and have dealt with the hardships of this season, landing in 16th place in the Premier League because they are one of the top flight's worst attacking sides. Midfielder Bruno Fernandes is as consistent a presence as any and he has received some help in the past from the likes of Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho but whether or no they will turn up on Wednesday is another quandary entirely.
🔗 Top Stories🏆 Europa League preview: Here are three questions facing Spurs and United ahead of the Europa League final, plus a position-by-position comparison of the two teams.
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🇮🇱 RIP Gadi Kinda: Gadi Kinda, an Israel international and former Sporting Kansas City player, died aged 31 following a "complex medical battle."
💰 The Back Line💵 Best bets- UEFA Europa League final: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester United, Wednesday, 3 p.m.💰 THE PICK: Both teams will not score (+118) – Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United deserve credit for navigating the Europa League and earning their spots in the final, but that does not exactly erase the struggles of their season. It is perhaps inherently difficult to predict how a European final between England's 16th and 17th best teams might go, in large part because their seasons have been far from predictable. There's a real possibility that at least one team goes scoreless in Bilbao on Wednesday, which could highlight the myriad of ways things could go wrong for the finalists. Both teams have had their offensive issues this season, while United also run the risk of being shut out by a Spurs team with their best defenders in the mix and after figuring out a way to play a boring game and win en route to the final. Plus, Spurs shut out United twice in their three previous meetings this season.
For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don't miss out on CBSSports.com's betting home page.
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