Both Tottenham and Manchester United will be looking to end dismal seasons with a bang when they play in the Europa League final in Bilbao on Wednesday. Domestic shortcomings can be cast aside for 90 minutes or more as they compete in their sixth all-English UEFA final; like Tottenham, United's European hopes for next season depend on success at San Mamés.

For all the bad luck they have endured in the Premier League, it is still possible that Spurs will get their hands on the coveted major trophy at the end of the 2024-25 season, having waited 17 years to lift it. Spurs have twice won the UEFA Cup before the competition evolved into the European League, in 1972 and 1984, so victory in Spain also makes them the second English club to win Europe's second-tier league title three times, joining Liverpool. Of course, their last final was in the 2018-19 Champions League, when they lost 2-0 to the Merseyside giants, but after qualifying from the first round of the league and reaching the knockout stage, they are back again - just one win away from proving Ange Postecoglou's prediction correct.

Spurs went into the semi-final decider with a 5-1 aggregate win over Norway's Bodo Grimt, with Dominic Solanke scoring in both legs. The London club eliminated AZ Alkmaar and Frankfurt before eliminating Bodo Grimt, and have won nine of their 14 games in the Europa League this season. While this is the most wins Tottenham have ever achieved in a single continental season, their Premier League run is a different story: with just one game left, they are 17th in the table but have lost 21 games in the English top flight.

Postecoglou's side suffered a 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa in the last round of the league, but they can still take some consolation from their recent domestic match against Manchester United. Spurs have won three of their three meetings against United this season: 3-0 in the league at Old Trafford, then 4-3 in the EFL Cup quarter-finals, and then 1-0 at home in February. Manchester United are winless in their last six meetings with Tottenham, so this one is of great significance.

The only previous meeting between the two teams in a European competition was in the European Cup Winners' Cup in the 1963-64 season, when the Red Devils won 4-3 on aggregate to advance to the quarter-finals. Spurs are seeking their first continental title since 1984, while United will be looking to repeat their 2017 Europa League triumph, when they beat a young Ajax side featuring current players Andre Onana and Matthijs de Ligt. Four years later, they reached their eighth European final - only Liverpool's 15 finals are more among English clubs - but a penalty shootout defeat to Villarreal means they have failed to win three of their last four games.

United beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in the Basque Country in this year's Champions League final and then broke the deadlock in the final at home to Athletic Bilbao a week later with a 4-1 victory. That victory came in a fascinating quarter-final clash against Lyon. The Red Devils led by two goals in the first half of the second leg but fell behind by two goals in extra time. They then scored two more goals to level the score, setting the stage for Harry Maguire to seal a 7-6 aggregate victory in the final moments of the game at Old Trafford.

United have scored 12 goals in their last three games and 35 in their entire Europa League campaign; the only teams to have scored more goals in a single UEFA Cup or Europa League match than United are Borussia Mönchengladbach (36) in 1972-73, Porto (37) in 2010-11 and Chelsea (36) in 2018-19. In addition, Ruben Amorim's side, though inconsistent, remain unbeaten in Europe this season and could become the fourth team to win the competition without losing in the Europa League era. Amorim will aim to put some light on his poor start in England and will become the third United manager to lift a major trophy in his first season, following Jose Mourinho in 2016-17 and Erik ten Hag in 2022-23.

However, Amorim's side lost 1-0 to Chelsea on Friday, their 18th league defeat of the season, one point above 16th-placed Tottenham, whose Champions League qualification depends on another good result in Bilbao.

Spurs predicted starting lineup:

Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van der Ven, Udoji; Sarr, Bissouma, Bentancur; Johnson, Solanke, Son Heung-min

Manchester United predicted starting lineup:

Onana; Lindelof, Maguire, Yoro; Mazrao, Ugarte, Casemiro, Dolgu; Diallo, Fernandes; Hoylund