Manchester United vs Villarreal
Manchester United
The Historically Successful club has had a Up and Down path for the past few years. Finishing in 6th position in 2018/19 after holding 2nd position the year prior(2017/18), Manchester Reds has not been THE CLUB in MANCHESTER for some years now. The Manchester Blues have essentially taken the crown from the Reds, and it was not a close match.
In the midst of the 2018/19 season, Red Devils appointed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as their new Manager and signed a 3 year deal. And he has been a Plus rather than a Minus for most of the part. Bruno Fernandes signed a Five and a Half Year deal with the Red Devils in Jan 2020, and he has been a huge help for the club ever since. Manchester Reds signed a One Year Deal with Uruguayan footballer Edison Cavani in October 2020. Edison Cavani has been outstanding for the Red Devils as he has exploded for multiple goals under Solskjaer this season. He will be returning to French Side PSG at the end of the Season.
Finishing in 6th position in 2018/19 made them eligible for Europa League for the 2019/20 season. In 2019/20 they were put with Dutch Club AZ Alkmaar, Serbian Club Partizan and Kazakhstan Club Astana, which they Finished in First Place in the Group L Matches. But, the Europa League run of the Red Devils came to an end in the Semi Finals where they lost to Spanish Club Sevilla 2-1. In the Premier League side of the story, Manchester Reds finished 3rd place, just behind their in-town rivals Manchester Blues and League Leaders Liverpool, in 2019/20 which earned them their Place in UEFA Champions League for 2020/21 year.
And, we are finally here in the 2020/21 Season where we are right now. This season, Manchester Reds finished in 2nd place once again, behind their in-town rivals the Manchester Blues in the Premier League Table. Last Year’s Premier League Kings Liverpool have been struck with Injury Issues which made them drop to 3rd position which they worked very hard to get there. More on that at another time.
This year, Manchester United started very strong in the Premier League, but that strength didn’t come over to UEFA Champions League. They were in Group H alongside French Juggernaut PSG, German Club RB Leipzig and Turkish Club İstanbul Başakşehir F.K. And they had an early exit due to finishing in 3rd place in group stage. Due to being in the 3rd place, they naturally were transferred to Europa League Round of 32 where they faced Spanish Club Real Sociedad in a 2 Leg match where they won by Aggregate of 4-0 (0-4 Away / 0-0 Home). Onwards to Round of 16.
In the UEFA Europa League Round of 16, Manchester Reds met the Italian Side AC Milan led by Zlatan Ibrahimović in a 2 Leg match and Won by Aggregate of 2-1 ( 1-1 Home / 0-1 Away).
Onwards to Quarter Finals. In the Quarter Finals, they were Challenged by Spanish Club Granada FC in which they won by aggregate 4-0 (0-2 Away / 2-0 Home).
Onwards to Semi Finals where they were knocked out the last time they were here. In Semi-Finals, they met the Italian Side Roma for a 2 Leg Match and won by aggregate 5-8 (6-2 Home / 3-2 Away) and thus have reached the Finals of the UEFA Europa League.
Villarreal
Villarreal has been in the La Liga for 98 years at this point and has never won a La Liga title as of yet. Have been runners up multiple times. And that’s because of 3 clubs in particular. FC Barcelona, Read Madrid, Atletico Madrid. These 3 teams have been dominating la Liga for most of the part and the competition is not even close. At the beginning of every season, it is expected by everyone that the title will go to one of these 3 clubs. Finishing in 14th position in 2018/19 after holding 5nd position the year prior(2017/18), nobody expects Villarreal to win the Spanish League any time soon.
In the end of 2019/20 season, Villarreal appointed Unai Emery as their new Coach and signed a 3 year deal. And he has been a huge Plus for the Spanish Club. Paco Alcácer, a Spanish footballer signed a Five deal with Villarreal in Jan 2020, and he has been a huge help for the club ever since. He was signed by Barcelona in 2016 and went to Borussia Dortmund on a One Year Loan deal with an option to buy. Dortmund made the move permanent in February of 2019 after an excellent 2018/19 season for €23 Million. Although he showed promise, he lost his place the following January after the signing of Erling Haaland.
The 2019/20 season was much better and livelier than the previous season for Villarreal as they finished 5th in the table behind Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla, earning their place for Europa League in 2020/21 season. The 2020/21 season has been a little bit off the tracks for Villarreal in terms of La Liga positions as they finished 7th in place behind Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, Real Sociedad and Real Betis. But, their Europa League story has been exciting, and that’s why we are here.
Villarreal Entered the Europa League 2020/21 in Group I alongside Azerbaijani Club Qarabag, Israeli Club M. Tel-Aviv and Turkish Side Sivasspor. They finished top their Group with 5 Wins and 1 Draw earning their way into the Round of 32. In the Round of 32, they played 2 Legs against Austrian Club Red Bull Salzburg and won with an aggregate of 1-4 (0-2 Away / 2-1 Home).
Next comes the Round of 16. In the Round of 16, they clashed against the Ukrainian Side Dynamo Kyiv and won with a Comfortable 0-4 aggregate ( 0-2 Away / 2-0 Home) in a 2 Leg Match for progressing to Quarter Finals.
Quarter Finals await. The Quarter Finals saw them matched up for 2 Legs against Croatia based Club Dinamo Zagreb which they won by 1-3 aggregate ( 0-1 Away / 2-1 Home).
Next Comes the Semi Finals. In the Semi-Finals, they were matched up against the English Side Arsenal which was going to be tough as Arsenal is considered to be one of the top 6 teams of the Premier League. They had to Fight Tooth and Nail in the 2 Legged Semi-Final for a 2-1 aggregate win (2-1 Home / 0-0 Away) over Arsenal to reach the Finals of the UEFA Europa League.
Verdict
A team which is not the best in their city anymore and a team which never was the best in their League at any point of time. They clash against one another in a Single Match format for the only Silverware they will win this 2020/21 season. Before the Grand Finale of this Season the UEFA Champions League Finals rolls in, Spanish Side Villarreal and the English Side Manchester United are locking Horns for a Finale of their own. Welcome to a Possible Moment in History.
The Match Begins at 00:30(IST) on 27 May 2021. It will be played in Gdansk Stadium in Gdansk, Poland and will be available for Live Stream on SONY SIX. We will be there I hope you join us for this mesmerizing fixture between 2 teams and 2 coaches who are hungry for Silverware amidst the Pandemic which is eating us all.
Predictions
Villarreal have been fighting their way each and every step on their road to the Finals form the Group Stages. Manchester United have also worked hard on their way here, but they come into the tournament in the Round of 32. Till then, Manchester United fought in the Champions League to no avail against a PSG side who were knocked out by the Manchester Blues. In terms of hard work, both the teams have worked hard to get here. In their respective Leagues, Red Devils are doing much better than their opponent Villarreal, but that doesn’t count in the Finals. The Finals of every tournament is quite Unpredictable as sometimes, some teams get a little bit of luck on their side and upset the Popular Favorites. Despite that Uncertainty, I pick the Manchester Reds to win against Villarreal with a score of 3-1. Let’s see what awaits us with the Kickoff less than 12 Hours Away.
Expected Starting Lineup
Manchester United 4-2-3-1 :
GK: De Gea/Henderson
RB: Wan-Bissaka
CB: Lindelof, Tuanzebe
LB: Shaw
CM: McTominay, Fred
RW: Greenwood/Rashford
CAM: Fernandes
LW: Pogba
ST: Cavani.
Villarreal 4-4-2 :
GK: Asenjo
LB: Gasper
CB: Albiol, Torres
LB: Pedraza
RM: Trigueros
CM: Capoue, Parejo
LM: Gomez
ST: Moreno, Alcacer.
THE WHISTLING WIND 