Villareal – Man Utd Preview Injuries, Suspensions and Possible Line-ups

Villareal - Man Utd preview

Who’s likely to start, who might be left out and who is unavailable? We have brought together all information for the UEFA Europa League final Villareal – Man Utd.

Before you make your selections you’d better read our preview that includes stats, history, latest news with injuries and suspensions for the Europa League final Villareal – Man Utd preview. We have used several sources to come up with this info.

Wednesday 26/05/2021, 21:00 CET

Villareal - Man Utd preview

Villareal

Villarreal’s run to the Europa League final was not a fluke. They remain unbeaten in the competition so far. They recorded 4-1-0 in the group stage and came out on top despite playing 5 matches instead of 6 (they didn’t have to repeat the postponed match against Qarabakh). In the knockout rounds they qualified by defeating Salzburg, Dynamo Kiev, Dynamo Zagreb and Arsenal in successive order, avoiding defeat on all occasions!

Their progress, of course, is largely down to Emery, who knows the Europa League like the palm of his hand and has 3 conquests to his name. Villareal finished outside the top 6 in LaLiga. At the end of the season they were playing for a Europa League spot, but finished 7th and are heading to the Confederations League unless they beat United. The cause was a 2-1 defeat away to Real Madrid, where they went ahead and held the lead until the 87th minute.

There were obvious signs of fatigue, with consecutive demanding games in Spain and Europe, that proved too much for the current roster. However, the “yellow submarine” has another chance, not only to emerge and win the Europa League, but also to earn… promotion to the top flight, destined for the Champions League.

The news from Villarreal follows below.

Man United

They lost touch with Manchester City at an early stage, only temporarily holding on to the top of the table of the Premier League. Consequently, winning the Europa League turned into the main goal of the season for Solskjaer and his side. Throughout their journey to Gdansk they have shown consistency and commitment. They reached the semi-finals coming from the Champions League and in the knockout stages they beat two Spanish and two Italian teams, Sociedad, Milan, Granada and Roma. The highlight was a 6-2 win over the latter at Old Trafford in the first semi-final before losing 3-2 in Rome.

In the Premier League they finished in 2nd place, 12 points behind Manchester City and 5 ahead of Liverpool. In recent times they have been conserving energy and resources, as their position was unlikely to change. They had no win in three games, but ended their domestic campaign with an away win against Wolves (1-2). An alternative 11 was used by Solskjaer.

United news follows below.

Team News

At Villarreal, Unai Emery has some tough calls to make, especially on the goalkeeper position. Jeronimo Ralli has started all but one game during Villarreal’s Europa League campaign. However, the Argentine lacks the necessary flow of games, which could push Emery to opt for Sergio Asenho.

He also needs to choose a partner for Moreno in the attack. Paco Alcacer has scored six goals in the competition so far, but two-time Europa League winner Carlos Bacca might prove to be the go-to man for a final.

Iborra (M) is sidelined. Juan Foyth, who is on loan from Tottenham, is very likely to be involved.
Juan Foyth, on loan from Tottenham, is very likely to be involved.

At Manchester United, where time for Harry Maguire to prove his fitness is running out. The United captain has suffered an ankle injury back in May. “I don’t expect him to be ready,” Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitted on Sunday and despite he took the England central defender in Poland, he is planning to play with Lindellof and Eric Bailley in the centre of defence.

Additionally, the Norwegian must decide who will start between the posts, although he used Henderson against Wolves on Sunday, which probably suggests that the more experienced and perceived No.1 David de Gea will defend the English goal in Gdansk.

Martial will most likely miss out as well, while Jones is a long-term absentee.

Possible line-ups Villareal – Man Utd

Villarreal (4-4-2): Asenjo (or Rulli); Foyth, Albiol, Torres, Pedraza; Pino, Capoue, Parejo, Trigueros: Moreno, Bacca (or Alcacer)

Man Utd (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Bailly, Lindelof, Shaw; McTominay, Fred; Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Pogba; Cavani

Villareal – Man Utd Tip

Prices subject to change. They were all correct at: 25/05/2021 – 10:00 CET