Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur will face off in the Europa League final on Wednesday in Bilbao, with both clubs desperate to salvage an underperforming Premier League season with silverware and the £ 100 million Champions League qualification for the winners.

Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United side, sitting 16th with a staggering 18 Premier League defeats, are enduring their worst top-flight season in 50 years, since their 1974 relegation.

Just one place below are Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs, who have lost a club-record 21 league matches and are staring down their worst campaign since their 1978 return to the top division.

Both sides have seen their Premier League form nosedive as they focused their energies on European glory. United are winless in eight Premier League games, their worst such run in Premier League history, following a last-gasp defeat to Chelsea. Spurs haven’t fared better, falling to Aston Villa for a fifth loss in six matches.

Spurs last lifted a European trophy in 1984 and have endured a 17-year silverware drought. Their only Champions League final appearance, in 2019, ended in a forgettable loss to Liverpool.

“When you look at the historical backdrop of this club for the past 20 years, I feel this final could be a turning point,” Postecoglou said recently, hinting at the magnitude of the moment for Spurs.

While Manchester United have secured domestic cups in recent seasons under Amorim’s predecessor, Erik ten Hag, they have continued to spiral under the Portuguese manager. Amorim has won just six of his 26 league games since taking charge in November.

However, United’s Europa League form has been a stark contrast. The Red Devils dispatched Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao with ease and pulled off a dramatic quarter-final comeback against Lyon, overturning a 6-4 deficit to win 7-6 on aggregate, a moment reminiscent of their famous 1999 Champions League triumph.

Still, Amorim is clear-eyed about the broader issues facing the club.

“I’m not concerned about the final; it’s by far the smallest problem in our club,” said the former Sporting Lisbon boss. “We need to change something deeper than this.”

(BusinessDay)