UEFA make official announcement ahead of Tottenham v Manchester United final
Tottenham are set to take on Premier League rivals Manchester United in the Europa League final in a little over a week’s time.
Both Ange Postecoglou’s men and the Red Devils have endured poor domestic seasons, but have enjoyed successful runs in Europe.
One of Tottenham or Man United will compete in next season’s Champions League, even though they sit 17th and 16th respectively in the Premier League.
Tottenham face Aston Villa on 16 May in their last top-flight outing before this month’s Europa League final in Bilbao.
Felix Zwayer announced as Europa League final referee
Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has questioned whether Spurs or Man United should feature in next season’s Champions League amid their respective Premier League struggles.
Amid that debate, UEFA officially announced on its website on Monday (12 May) that Felix Zwayer will referee this month’s Europa League final in Bilbao.
Zwayer previously refereed the 2023 Nations League final between Croatia and Spain before taking charge of England’s Euro 2024 semi-final clash with the Netherlands.
Tottenham head into Europa League final with lack of momentum
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium side’s campaign has been something of a phenomenon as Postecoglou’s side have reached a European final while also sitting fourth-bottom of the Premier League.
| Opponent | Result |
| West Ham (A) | 1-1 D |
| Bodo/Glimt (A) | 0-2 W |
| Crystal Palace (H) | 0-2 L |
Remarkably, Europa League final opponents Man United have embarked on an almost identical trend, as they are just one point above the North London outfit in the top flight.
But while Tottenham’s form in Europe has seemingly been unaffected by their Premier League woes, Spurs should not want to head into their final in a poor vein of form.
However, last time out, Postecoglou’s men were beaten 2-0 by Crystal Palace on Sunday, and could be set for another defeat against Champions League hopefuls Aston Villa on 16 May.
An otherwise poor Tottenham outfit have saved their best football for the Europa League this season, and will have to do so again come 21 May.
Spurs can take serious heart from the fact that they have beaten the Red Devils three times in all competitions this term.