Ian JohnWe have reached the end of the domestic football season across many of the top leagues in Europe and before our focus turns to the imminent Euro 2020 tournament set to take place this summer, we have the small matter of the two major UEFA finals taking place this week,
First up tonight in Gdansk in Poland, Manchester United will face Villarreal for the fifth time hoping to earn a second Europa League Final victory in the space of four years. In contrast, the Spaniards will be competing in their first ever final of any sort and this represents their first chance to lift some silverware as a club.
Then on Saturday evening, the focus will switch to the Estadio do Dragao in Porto, Portugal, the replacement venue for the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul, which will be the host venue for the Champions League final between two Premier League sides, Manchester City and Chelsea.
It promises to be a hugely exciting week ahead of football, notwithstanding the Playoff Finals that will take place this weekend too, so if you are looking for some top quality betting on the games, then check out what is on offer at bet365 Sport today, as well as the Live In Play betting available when the games kick off.
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Let’s now preview both the key games this week, starting with tonight’s game in Poland.
Europa League Final Preview
Manchester United v Villarreal
- Venue – Gdansk Stadium
- Date – Wednesday 26th May
- Kick Off – 8pm UK Time
- Referee – Clement Turpijn (France)
Two teams with vastly different experience of playing in finals clash tonight in Poland with Manchester United the favourites to take the win with the bookmakers. Their Spanish opponents, Villarreal, are competing in their first final of any sort, but they have a dangerous squad that includes the likes of Etienne Capoue, Carlos Bacca, Francis Coquelin and Pau Torres.
The teams have met four times previously, all four games finishing in 0-0 draws, but they have not met in over ten years since the last game and given the attacking talent on show, it seems unlikely we will see a repeat of that scoreline here.
Manchester United Preview
The Road To Gdansk
Champions League Group Stage Results
- V Paris St Germain (A) – W 2-1
- V Red Bull Leipzig (H) – W 5-0
- V Istanbul Basaksehir (A) – L 1-2
- V Istanbul Basaksehir (H) – W 4-1
- V Paris St Germain (H) – L 1-3
- V Red Bull Leipzig (A) – L 2-3
Having qualified for the Champions League, United could only finish third in their group, dropping them into the Europa League at the Round of 32 stage in the New Year.
Europa League Knockout Stage Results
- Round of 32 – v Real Sociedad – Away – W 4-0, Home – D 0-0 (4-0 agg)
- Round of 16 – v AC Milan – Home – D 1-1, Away – W 1-0 (2-1 agg)
- Quarterfinal – v Granada – Away – W 2-0, Home – W 2-0 (4-0 agg)
- Semifinal – v AS Roma – Home – W 6-2, Away – L 2-3 (8-5 on agg)
Villarreal Preview
The Road to Gdansk
Europa League Group Stage Results
- V Sivasspor (H) – W 5-3
- V Qarabag (A) – W 3-1
- V Maccabi Tel Aviv (H) – W 4-0
- V Maccabi Tel Aviv (A) – D 1-1
- V Sivasspor (A) – W 1-0
- V Qarabag (H) – W 3-0
Villarreal qualified for the Europa League via their La Liga finishing position last season and they came through a relatively easy group with five wins and a draw to top the table comfortably.
Europa League Knockout Stage Results
- Round of 32 – v Red Bull Salzburg – Away – W 2-0, Home – W 2-1 (4-1 agg)
- Round of 16 – v Dynamo Kiev – Away – W 2-0, Home – W 2-0 (4-0 agg)
- Quarterfinal – v Dinamo Zagreb – Away – W 1-0, Home – W 2-1 (3-1 agg)
- Semifinal – v Arsenal – Home – W 2-1, Away – D 0-0 (2-1 on agg)
Europa League Final Tips
- Full Time Result – Manchester United – 9/10
- Correct Score – Manchester United 2-1 Villarreal – 15/2
- Result & Both Teams to Score – Man Ytd & Yes – 10/3
- Anytime Goalscorer – Edinson Cavani (Man Utd) – 13/8
Champions League Final Preview
Chelsea v Manchester City
- Venue – Estadio do Dragao, Porto
- Date – Saturday 29th May
- Kick Off – 8pm UK Time
- Referee – Antonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz (Spain)
What an intriguing matchup we have in prospect on Saturday night in Portugal as the English Champions and Carabao Cup Winners Manchester City go for their third trophy of the season but facing a Chelsea side that have beaten them twice in recent weeks and who are looking for a second Champions League trophy in their history.
Both sides have squads packed with talent and a number of players are going to be very disappointed at missing out at a place in the team but with so much quality on show, can City gain revenge for those two recent defeats, or will Chelsea prove to be City’s nemesis once again?
Chelsea Preview
The Road To Porto
Champions League Group Stage Results
- V Sevilla (H) – D 0-0
- V Krasnodar (A) – W 4-0
- V Rennes (H) – W 3-0
- V Rennes (A) – W 2-1
- V Sevilla – (A) – W 4-0
- V Krasnodar (H) – D 1-1
After a tricky start at home to Sevilla, four wins in a row saw Chelsea make light work of qualifying from their group where they pipped Sevilla to top spot to earn a seeded spot in the Round of 16 draw.
Champions League Knockout Stage Results
- Round of 16 – V Atletico Madrid (1-0 Away) (2-0 Home) (3-0 agg)
- Quarterfinals – V FC Porto (2-0 Away) (0-1 Home) (2-1 agg)
- Semifinals – V Real Madrid (1-1 Away) (2-0 Home) (3-1 agg)
Manchester City Preview
The Road To Porto
Champions League Group Stage Results
- V FC Porto (H) – W 3-1
- V Marseille (A) – W 3-0
- V Olympiakos (H) – W 3-0
- V Olympiakos (A) – W 1-0
- V FC Porto (A) – D 0-0
- V Marseille (H) – W 3-0
A very solid campaign in the Champions League saw City top their group, dropping just two points on their way into the knockout phase of the tournament.
Champions League Knockout Stage Results
- Round of 16 – V Borussia Moench (2-0 Away) (2-0 Home) (4-0 agg)
- Quarterfinals – V Borussia Dortmund (2-1 Home) (2-1 Away) (4-2 agg)
- Semifinals – V Paris St Germain (2-1 Away) (2-0 Home) (4-1 agg)
Champions League Final Tips
- Full Time Result – Manchester City – 5/6
- Correct Score – Manchester City 3-1 Chelsea – 16/1
- Result & Both Teams to Score – Man City & Yes – 7/2
- Anytime Goalscorer – Kevin De Bruyne (Man City) – 11/5
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