Has there ever been a match with such colossal consequences at stake as the Europa League Cup final between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United? Probably, but nothing recent springs readily to mind.
The Battle of Bilbao will leave the victors excitedly planning glamourous trips round the continent as part of next season’s Champions League while the vanquished will be plunged into darkness and facing a bleak future in football’s doldrums.
So will the champagne corks be popping or will there be wailing and gnashing of teeth in the white half of north London or the red half of Manchester?
It’s a difficult call now that Spurs are without influential, creative midfielders James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski while Lucas Bergvall remains a major doubt – but on the plus side their defence is at full strength with Guglielmo Vicario in goal and Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie across the back line.
They have hardly played together because of the club’s long-term injury crisis but when they have Ange Postecoglou’s side have looked much better.
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Just like Spurs, Manchester United have been beyond abysmal in the Premier League but they are at their best when playing in Europe.
Tottenham have beaten United three times this season, winning 3-0 at Old Trafford in September, 1-0 in N17 in February and 4-3 in the Carabao Cup in December.
Before that they shared the spoils away last term and won 2-0 at home and drew 2-2 the year before that – making it six games since the Reds last beat Tottenham, 2-0 in front of their own fans in October 2022.
Europa League final odds
Despite Ruben Amorin’s side being odds-on favourites across the board to lift the Europa League trophy, Spurs seem to have their number and are backable at 11/10 with bet365 and Betfair to claim Uefa’s second-string cup for a third time in their history.
They are also 2/1 with the former firm to win in 90 minutes and fit-again captain Son Heung-min is 10/3 with Sky Bet to score at any time. Tottenham are 9/2 to win with both teams scoring and a 2-1 Spurs triumph is 10/1 with bet365.
Son’s opposing skipper Bruno Fernandes is 11/5 with Ladbrokes, Coral, Paddy Power and Betfair to find the net for United.
Other betting
Harry Brook is 7/2 with Paddy Power, Sky Bet and Betfair to be England’s top batter in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, while Gus Atkinson is 2/1 with BetGoodwin to take the most wickets for the home side.
Emma Raducanu cashed for us at evens when she beat Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-3 in Strasbourg on Monday and she can defeat Danielle Collins at 21/20 with Betway as she prepares for next week’s French Open.