Former Manchester United captains Gary Neville and Roy Keane have both backed the Red Devils to overcome Tottenham Hotspur in the final of the Europa League on Wednesday night.
Man United have had a disastrous domestic season, sitting down in 16th spot in the Premier League table, while Spurs are 17th, but the pair will go head-to-head for a major European trophy in Bilbao, Spain.
The winner will secure a spot in the 2025-26 Champions League and leave themselves in a much stronger position heading into the summer transfer window.
Man United will be missing Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt through injury for the final, while Spurs are without the likes of James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Bergvall.
The Red Devils have been picked to triumph by both Neville and Keane, who have been huge critics of the team throughout the campaign due to their issues.
Neville, Keane back Man United to win Europa League final
“You still have to fancy United. I still think someone like Bruno [Fernandes] will produce, the history of Manchester United. I think it carries a little bit of weight. If you look at our league performance there’s not a lot between them, they’ve both been desperate,” Keane told Sky Sports News.
“I just think, come the crunch, come the final, United’s history in finals and even winning a few cups in the last few years you’d like to think they have a bit more knowledge around the big game more than Spurs.”
Meanwhile, Neville said on Monday Night Football: “I think United will win on Wednesday night.”
Shearer picks Tottenham to triumph on Wednesday night
However, Tottenham have been given the nod by the Premier League’s highest-ever goalscorer Alan Shearer.
“This match is pretty impossible to predict when you look at how bad both teams have been. Spurs have done really well against Man United this season, so due to their record against them I’d say Spurs may be slight favourites,” Shearer told Betfair.
“There are more negatives than positives for both teams when you look at them. I really haven’t got a clue what to expect or what teams will turn up. It’s a bit of a flip of a coin and it’ll be a disaster for whoever doesn’t win.
“Given what’s at stake for both clubs, it could have an impact on the game. There’s so much relying on both teams, managers and both clubs’ short-term futures.
“There’s no exaggeration that both teams need an injection of five or six players to try and compete again and that’s why the stakes of this game are enormous.
“Just because of their record over the last five or six games against them, and particularly this season, I’ll go for a Spurs win. It wouldn’t surprise me if the game goes all the way to penalties, but I’ll go for Spurs to win in normal time.”
Tottenham have beaten Man United three times this season, once in the League Cup and twice in the Premier League, while the Red Devils have not overcome the North London club since October 2022.
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