Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur suffered identical defeats on Sunday as their disastrous 2024/2025 Premier League campaigns continued.

Both teams are guaranteed to finish in the bottom half of the table in what would be one of their worst-ever finishes in history.

They might be safe from relegation, but for clubs their stature, the proverbial Big 6, there is no denying that this season has been underwhelming.

However, one of them could still finish on a high and qualify for the Champions League if they win the Europa League final on May 21.

Manchester United thrashed Athletic Bilbao 7-1 to sail through to the semi-finals, while Tottenham withstood temporary scares from Norwegian minnows Bodo/Glimt to reach their first European final since 2019.

Ruben Amorim and Ange Postecoglou will be keen on parading their best teams in the San Mames final, but that was hit by a setback on Sunday after injuries to key players.

Dejan Kulusevski limped off after just 19 minutes against Crystal Palace and he was replaced by Mikey Moore. Postecoglou was upbeat in his post-match remarks that the Swede hadn't suffered a serious injury.

"He should be ok. Just talking to him after. The medical team are not too concerned about him. It was just a knock," as captured by Football London.

At Old Trafford, Amorim cut a frustrated figure as Leny Yoro had to be withdrawn in the 52nd minute. Despite his exasperated self, Amorim also remained confident that the defender hadn't picked up a serious issue that would keep him out for long.

"We have to assess Leny in a better way tomorrow [Monday]. He felt something, but I think it could be a small thing," he said via Manchester United website.

"He had that problem at the beginning of the season," added Amorim. "We hope it's not too serious. I don't want to say too much, but maybe it's not a big deal."

Should Yoro be ruled out of the final, it will be a big blow to Amorim, who will be without Lisandro Martinez due to a long-term injury. The Red Devils are already without Matthijs de Ligt, who picked up a fresh injury against Brentford last week. Diogo Dalot is also out with a calf injury, making Amorim's options in defence smaller.

For Spurs, Postecoglou was glad to welcome his captain, Heung-min Son, back, but the Kulusevski injury will be a concern. The Greek-Australian manager will also have to plot United's downfall without James Maddison, who suffered a season-ending injury. Lucas Bergvall and Radu Dragusin are also long-term absentees.

Before the Europa League final, the two sides will be back in the Premier League action on Friday. United travel to London to play Chelsea while Tottenham play Aston Villa.

The two sides are likely to rest their key players for these matchups with the Europa League final on the horizon.

In a related report, UEFA has made a decision on the Europa League final venue.

The final will be held at the San Mames stadium in Bilbao, which can only accommodate 53,000 people.

There had been murmurs that UEFA could consider moving it to another venue, but the governing body has maintained its initial decision.

Source: TUKO.co.ke