Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes give their predictions for Europa League final between Manchester United and Villarreal
Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes have backed Manchester United to beat Villarreal in the UEFA Europa League final on May 26th.
The Red Devils booked their place in the final after beating AS Roma 9-5 on aggregate in the semi-finals of the competition.
Manchester United headed into the second leg against AS Roma on the back of a 6-2 victory in the first leg at Old Trafford.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men took the lead in a frantic first half thanks to a goal from Edinson Cavani. However, Paulo Fonseca's side hit back with two goals in quick succession early in the second half.
Manchester United striker Edinson Cavani scored his second goal of the game in the 69th minute to level the scoreline on the night. AS Roma scored a late goal to win the game 3-2 but were knocked out of the competition because of the aggregate score.
Manchester United will face Villarreal in the Europa League final after Unai Emery's men beat Arsenal 2-1 in their semi-final clash on Thursday.
Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes believe Manchester United have what it takes to win their first trophy under the management of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Ferdinand told BT Sport:
"If Manchester United turn up and perform anywhere near their best, they'll win the game, hands down, probably by a couple of goals. They've got players in there that have won this competition already as well. Unai Emery has got experience but some of these Man United players on the pitch have been there and done it too."
Paul Scholes agreed with Ferdinand and said:
"I haven't seen a lot of Villarreal and they do have goals in their teams. It's hard to go against Unai Emery with his record in the competition but United have hit some real form at the right time. I expect them to win it with the squad they've got."
Manchester United will be wary of Unai Emery's record in the Europa League
Despite being clear favorites to win the Europa League, Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be wary of Villarreal manager Unai Emery's record in the competition.
Unai Emery won three consecutive Europa League titles during his time as Sevilla manager and led Arsenal to the final in the 2018-19 season.