The poll that
UEFA
has opened
on its website for people to vote for their favorite in the Europa League final is winning over
Villarreal
, with 56 percent of the votes.
However, it is Manchester United who starts, a priori, with the vitola of the main candidate to lift the trophy that they already won for the first time in 2017. It may be because of history, record, or potential.
There it is, for example, that workforce valued according to the specialized Transfermarkt portal at
716 million euros
, almost three times more than that of the yellow team.
However, if a favorite had to be determined based on the previous matches between the two teams, it would not be possible.
It may be a unique case in the history of European football that Villarreal and Manchester United star, who have already seen each other four times without either of them having been able to score a single goal.
The first meeting was in September 2005, at the premiere of the yellow team in the group stage of the Champions League, a duel played at El Madrigal in which
Wayne Rooney was
sent off
.
Players were also on that team
like
Van der Sar
,
Ferdinand
,
Scholes
,
Cristiano
or
Van Nistelrooy
.
At Old Trafford there was also a scoreless draw and the subsequent defeat of the English against Benfica saw
Sir Alex Ferguson's men
finish last in the group, ending a run of nine consecutive qualifiers for the qualifying rounds, while Pellegrini's were first in the group. group.
Fans heading to Poland @ VillarrealCF
Three years later they would cross their paths again in the same competition, although on that occasion both qualified after the goalless draw in Castellón that suited both teams. As it is, the final in Gdansk (X / 9:00 pm) will inevitably tip the balance to one side or the other. A circumstance that will also occur in the duel of benches that will star
Unai Emery
and
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
.
Five times the technical protagonists of the Europa League final have already seen each other's faces with a balance also equal:
two victories for each and a draw
. El Molde, who led the Norwegian coach in the 2015-16 season, was one of the victims of Emery's Sevilla en route to their third consecutive title. The Andalusian team won 3- 0 in the first leg and fell 1-0 in the second leg. The three remaining matches took place during the yellow coach's stage in the Premier, at the helm of Arsenal, and when Solskjaer was already directing the Red Devils.
Their first encounter on English soil was in the FA Cup, where United brought down the
Gunners
in the fourth round after winning 1-3 at the Emirates with goals from
Alexis Sánchez
,
Lingard
and
Martial
.
The two matches in the Premier League resulted in Arsenal's victory 2- 0 and a draw at Old Trafford the following season (1-1).
As with the crosses between the two teams, this Wednesday's final will tip the balance on the side of one or the other coach.
If he does so towards Villarreal, he will expand his legend in the Europa League with
his fourth title
.
At the moment he is already the first coach to play five finals in a European competition
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
Know more
Villarreal CF
LaLiga Santander 2020 - 2021The president of Villarreal confined at home by Covid
Europa League 2020 - 2021 Loyalty and seniority.
This is how 1,800 Villarreal fans will go to the final in Gdansk
Europa League 2020 - 202 190 minutes for history
See links of interest
2021 business calendar
Home THE WORLD TODAY
Giro Stage 16: Salice - Cortina d'Ampezzo