It's the big night for Manchester United and Villareal. The two teams face each other in the final of the Europa League, in a meeting where the favorite may not be who you think...

Before leaving for the Euros with their respective national teams, some players still have a big mission to accomplish with their club: to win a European Cup! Before the long-awaited Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea, Saturday May 29 at 9:00 p.m. on RMC Sport, and clearly on RMC Story, it is the Europa League final that is being held this Wednesday May 26, and it pits Manchester United against Villareal. In the event of a victory for the Red Devils, the English clubs would once again sign, after 2019, a nice 100% European. But for that, it will be necessary to get rid of a tough opponent, and potentially favorite thanks to a man: the coach of Villareal, Unai Emery.

Unai Emery, main threat for Manchester United? This is sure to amuse PSG supporters, and even more those of Arsenal. And yet. The coach of the Spanish team nicknamed "the yellow submarine" is THE Europa League specialist. At the head of Sevilla FC, the technician has indeed won the competition 3 times in a row, in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Even in 2019, when his Arsenal team was struggling in the Premier League, he had regained the final of his favorite cup, this time lost to rivals Chelsea, 4-1. Two years later, here he is back, this time at the head of Villareal, to challenge Manchester United, the big favorite of the competition since his reversal following the elimination in the group stages of the Champions League, overtaken by PSG and RB Leipzig. But the Red Devils are warned: Unai Emery loves the Europa League, and seems to have transmitted this passion to his team, which precisely eliminated an English club in the semi-finals: Arsenal! We don't know if on the Villareal side, revenge is a dish best served cold, but Emery must have particularly savored it...

5 Spanish clubs in the Champions League?

Additional source of motivation for Villareal: a victory in the Europa League final provides a place as a seed for the next Champions League. The Spanish club having finished 7th in La Liga, this golden ticket would be particularly welcome, and would allow the passage to have 5 Spanish clubs involved in the competition next year. How to put an end to English hegemony? Manchester United, for its part, finished 2nd in the Premier League, and therefore finds itself automatically qualified for the Champions League.

But this does not mean that Paul Pogba and his teammates will give up. Moreover, it is team B, or even C, which played the last meeting of the season in the league, just to preserve the executives. Further proof of the Red Devils' motivation to lift a trophy that they also know very well: they won it in 2017. And after Madrid in 2018, which won the Champions League thanks to Real, and the Europa League thanks to Atlético, Manchester is therefore offered a wonderful opportunity this week to place itself at the top of Europe. So who will win?

Answer this evening from 9:00 p.m. on RMC Sport for subscribers, or in the clear on RMC Story (channel 23). At the moment, RMC Sport is available as a pack with beIN SPORTS for only 19 euros per month, instead of 34 euros per month. So that you really don't miss the best of football.

Source: RMC Sports

to read also in Football