The Europa League final could be short of up to 13 players as both Manchester United and Tottenham are struggling with some serious injuries. The winning team will qualify for next season's Champions League, but they will have to overcome the personnel challenge.
Coach Ange Postecoglou said Tottenham will definitely not have the service of James Maddison. The English player scored in the victory in the Europa League semi-final to help Tottenham play in the final in Bilbao. Maddison also scored when Spurs beat Man United earlier this season.
Dejan Kulusevski is another key player absent for Tottenham. Kulusevski's injury has been confirmed recently and will cost Postecoglou one of his attacking weapons.
Tottenham's Radu Dragusin and Lucas Bergvall are also out, similar to players loaned to Timo Werner. In addition, there is the case of Dane Scarlett.
On the other side of the front line, coach Ruben Amorim also has a headache no less than Postecoglou. Lisandro Martinez's knee problem has kept him out for a long time. Meanwhile, a thigh problem has kept Joshua Zirkzee out.
In addition, Man United are sweating due to some problems in defense. Matthijs De Ligt is currently struggling with a knee injury, while Leny Yoro practiced leaving the field in the loss to West Ham.
Diogo Dalot's calf injury needs to be monitored, but the defender said the situation is fine. Meanwhile, Jonny Evans is still uncertain whether Amorim will be named in the squad.
As for Tottenham, they are hoping to have good news about Pape Matar Sarr, who was injured in the match against Aston Villa.
"Pape Matar Sarr felt something on his back, so we let him off as a preventative measure. I didn't think it was too important to talk to him afterwards. He just felt like he had some back problems," said Postecoglou.
Tottenham have beaten Man United three times this season, twice in the Premier League and once in the Carabao Cup. The "Roosters" are looking to end their long drought with titles since 2008 and have been with the club for that time.
Meanwhile, Man United continue to suffer in the Premier League and have lost 6/8 of their most recent matches. Amorim could restore confidence for the whole team if they defeat Tottenham in Spain. However, as the Portuguese strategist shared, even with the Europa League championship, Man United still have many things to improve.
The match between Tottenham and Man United takes place at 2:00 am on May 22 (Vietnam time).
