Category sport-news

Manchester United received a fitness boost on the eve of the Europa League final as Joshua Zirkzee, Diogo Dalot, and Leny Yoro all returned to training on Tuesday.

Ruben Amorim’s side are preparing to face Tottenham in an all-English Europa League showpiece in Bilbao on Wednesday.

Zirkzee had been ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a hamstring injury at Newcastle in April, but the Dutch striker could be available after missing United’s last eight games in all competitions.

Portugal full-back Dalot has been absent for six matches due to a calf problem, while French defender Yoro sat out last Friday’s 1-0 loss at Chelsea with a foot issue.

While that trio were able to train with their team-mates at Carrington on Tuesday, there was still no sign of Dutch centre-back Matthijs de Ligt, who has been sidelined with an undisclosed problem for the last three games.

United face Tottenham at the San Mames stadium, looking to salvage a wretched domestic campaign by winning the first trophy of Amorim’s reign.

Amorim, who replaced the sacked Erik ten Hag in November, has presided over United’s slump to 16th place in the Premier League — just one point above 17th-placed Tottenham.

As well as ending the season with silverware, United would secure a lucrative place in next season’s Champions League if they beat Tottenham.

READ ALSO: &nbsp, Failure Means Man City Would Not ‘ Deserve ‘ Champions League- Guardiola

Postecoglou Fights To Avoid Sack

Meanwhile, Ange Postecoglou can end Tottenham’s 17-year trophy drought by winning the Europa League final against Manchester United, but even victory in Bilbao on Wednesday might not be enough to save him from the sack.

Beating United to break the silverware curse and earn a place in next season’s Champions League would be a significant moment in Tottenham’s recent history.

The north London club haven’t won a major trophy since beating Chelsea in the 2008 League Cup final, while their last European silverware came in the 1984 UEFA Cup.

But Postecoglou has presided over such a miserable Premier League campaign that the Tottenham boss heads to the San Mames stadium with his future hanging in the balance regardless of the result.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has not been shy when it comes to managerial changes and has already been linked with Brentford’s Thomas Frank, Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner and Fulham’s Marco Silva.

As speculation mounts that Postecoglou will be gone after the final, his brash boast in September that he “always win things” in his second season has come to define the campaign.

If Manchester City finish outside the top five in the Premier League, Guardiola claims they will not “deserve” to be in the Champions League but that they will.

By their high standards, City have had a miserable season, which is the first time they have won a trophy since 2017.

With a game in hand, the deposed Premier League champions are sixth in the table ahead of Tuesday’s home game against midtable Bournemouth. They are also one point behind Newcastle, Chelsea, and Aston Villa.

The top five Premier League clubs will all advance to the Champions League for the upcoming season.

READ MORE: The Ballon d’Or Ceremony Is Set For September 22 In Paris, READ ALSO:

City manager Guardiola said on Monday, “We don’t deserve it if we aren’t in the Champions League.” “We’ll also play in the Europa League.” Therefore, it is what it is.

Just days after their FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace, he continues to be optimistic about his team’s prospects.

“I believe we will qualify,” I thought. My goal is to finish in third place in the Premier League, he said.

Kevin De Bruyne, a long-serving Belgium midfielder who will leave the club at the end of the season, will play his final game away at the Etihad on Tuesday.

However, Guardiola claimed that achieving Champions League qualification was both his and De Bruyne’s top priorities.

Since the 2011/2012 season, City have been a constant fixture in Europe’s elite club competition.

Guardiola declared, “I am going to choose the best, the best players to win the game against Bournemouth, that’s for sure.”

Tottenham and Manchester United will square off in the Europa League final on Wednesday in Bilbao, with both teams desperately looking for silverware and a golden ticket to the Champions League to win the title game.

At San Mames Stadium, two teams that are struggling to reach the bottom of the English top flight are on the verge of a potential $100 million ($133 million) honey pot to win the title game.

Ruben Amorim’s Red Devils are 16th in the league and have endured their worst top flight run since 1974’s relegation.

Spurs, which have lost a club-record 21 times in the league and are on the verge of their worst season since 1978 when they first returned to the top, are one place below.

Both teams have only recently begun to advance their position in the lower echelons of the table because they are so focused on Europe.

United have lost to Chelsea on Friday in their final game without a win in eight league games, which is their worst ever run in Premier League history.

Tottenham also suffered their fifth league defeat since August 1st, defeating them 6-4 at Aston Villa.

Spurs have won this competition twice, but their 1984 victory was the club’s final European triumph and they haven’t won a silverware since.

In a drab match against Liverpool, they lost in a second-ever Champions League match, which was their first appearance in the 2019 competition.

This final, according to Postecoglou last week, “could potentially be a turning point given the historical context of this club over the past 20 or so years.”

Under Amorim’s successor Erik ten Hag, United has continued to decline despite the legendary former manager Alex Ferguson retiring in 2013. In addition, they have won the FA Cup and League Cup twice in the previous two seasons.

Since taking over in November, the Portuguese has only won six of his 26 Premier League games.

Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao were defeated by United, who defeated them 7-6 on aggregate in the Europa League, which brought back memories of the club’s dramatic Champions League triumph in 1999.

Amorim, however, is aware of the magnitude of the task at hand. He has the opportunity to turn around the 20-time English champions.

The former Sporting Lisbon manager said, “I’m not concerned about the final; it’s by far the smallest issue in our club.”

“We need to alter something more profound than this,” he said.

Also available:   More Misery For Messi, Miami With Florida Derby defeat

Four consecutively?

An all-conquering United once perceived Tottenham as little of a trouble.

Roy Keane, the former United great, revealed that Spurs was once Ferguson’s talk was limited to dismissive “lads, it’s’s.”

The London side has won all three of its meetings this year, including a 3-0 victory over United in a Premier League match. Postecoglou has not lost in five games under his leadership.

It’s difficult for the club to lose four games in a row, said Amorim.

With players like Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes, United have both experience and talent.

Former United midfielder Paul Scholes, who played alongside Keane, said: “They know how to win trophies, Tottenham don’t.

Portuguese coach is expected to remain despite the team’s abhorrent domestic behavior, which is bolstered by the thrilling unbeaten run to the Europa League final.

Postecoglou cannot be held to the same standards. If the Australian doesn’t fulfill his promise to bring back a trophy in his second year in charge, he’ll almost certainly leave.

With midfielders James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall, and Dejan Kulusevski all missing for the final, Spurs’ bad luck with injuries continues. However, Son Heung-min is back in action.

Even if Postecoglou’s team wins, they made it to the Arctic in the semi-finals of Bodo/Glimt, but they might still be frozen out.

“It’s going to upset a lot of people, isn’t it” if we win, right? The Australian remarked.

“I’m looking forward to it and it should be a great game,” I said. “Who cares if we’re struggling in the league?”