Manchester United face the La Liga side in Gdansk, Poland tonight as manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer aims to get his hands on a first piece of silverware since since taking charge of the club in 2018-19.
This is United’s eighth major European final but Villarreal’s first.
There are plans for 2,000 fans of each club to be present at the final.
Thirty minutes’ extra time will be played if the scores are level after 90 minutes. The final will be decided by a penalty shootout if the scores are still level after 120 minutes.
Where?
The Europa League Final Villarreal vs Manchester United will be played at Gdansk Stadium.
When?
Wednesday, May 26 2021 at 20:00 BST (May 27 in India at 12:30 IST)
This is Manchester United’s 8th major European final, the second-most of any English club after Liverpool (14). They have been crowned winners in 5 of the previous 7 finals, losing only against Barcelona in the Champions League in both 2008-09 and 2010-11.
This is Villarreal’s first major European final.
Villarreal and United are meeting for the fifth time, with each of the previous four meetings finishing 0-0 in the Champions League between 2005-06 and 2008-09.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will contest only his second final in his managerial career, having won the 2013 Norwegian Cup with Molde. Solskjaer would be the first Norwegian manager to win a major European trophy.
Aged 19 years and 237 days on the day of the final, United’s Mason Greenwood could become only the second English teenager to score in a major European final after Brian Kidd, who scored on his 19th birthday for United in the 1968 European Cup final against Benfica.
United’s Edinson Cavani has scored 5 goals and provided 2 assists in only 247 minutes of Europa League action this season, averaging either a goal or an assist every 35 minutes.
Transferred from UEFA Champions League, 4-0 Real Sociedad (R32), 2-1 AC Milan (R16), 4-0 Granada (QF), 8-5 Roma (SF)
Last season: semi-finals (L vs Sevilla)
UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League best: winners (2017)
Why this is their year
Last season’s semi-final defeat to Sevilla hurt Ole Gunnar Solskjær and his players. United paid a heavy price for their profligacy that night but are determined not to make the same mistakes this time around.
Tactics
Solskjær normally sets his team up in a 4-2-3-1 formation but has been known to deploy a 3-4-1-2 system, and has even experimented with a 4-4-2 diamond.
Key player: Bruno Fernandes
With nearly 40 goals or assists in all competitions this season, Bruno Fernandes remains the beating heart of this Red Devils team.
Group I winners, 4-1 Salzburg (R32), 4-0 Dynamo Kyiv (R16), 3-1 Dinamo Zagreb (QF), 2-1 Arsenal (SF)
Last season: N/A
UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League best: semi-finals (2004, 2011, 2016)
Why this is their year
Unai Emery has won this competition three times and is working for a club who are now in their fourth semi-final. Villarreal want this trophy and qualification for the UEFA Champions League equally badly.
Tactics
Emery can adapt to circumstances and opportunities, but this season, the Yellow Submarine have largely lined up in a 4-3-3 formation, which he can switch to a 4-5-1 when he has to.
Key player: Gerard Moreno
Spanish international Moreno is a real nuisance for defenders and his eye for goal makes him a player everyone should be wary of.
In 2020/21, Unai Emery became the first manager to reach the Europa League final with three different teams and his Villarreal side have not yet lost a game in the competition.
One more win and he would become the most successful manager in UEFA Cup / UEL history.
Manchester United face the La Liga side in Gdansk, Poland tonight as manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer aims to get his hands on a first piece of silverware since since taking charge of the club in 2018-19.
2014 Sevilla
2015 Champions League
19 goals
12 assists
0-0
Kick-off Times around the world
“This is just a step on the road to bringing our Man. United back.”
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær
Bruno Fernandes still leads the FedEx Performance Zone player rankings.
Unai Emery’s record in this competition 
| Teams are in!
