Villarreal vs. Manchester United 5/26/21 UEFA Europa League Soccer Pick, Odds, and Prediction

Villarreal and Manchester United are clashing at Stadio Energa Gdansk in the Europa League finals.

Villarreal has had a successful season in LaLiga, well mostly. Villarreal has ended in 7^th place, which is the Conference League spot, and even though Villarreal could have been higher because they have the quality, they will need to be satisfied with the Europa League next season, unless they win the Europa League this season. Villarreal has scored impressive 60 goals this season, and they are among the best offensive teams in the league, but their defense wasn’t as consistent, and Villarreal has conceded 44 goals. In their last game, Villarreal was playing against Real Madrid on the road, and they have had 45% of ball possession, 2 shots on goal, 1 corner kick, 1 big chance created, and 84% of the correct passes. After leading since the 20^th minute, Villarreal has had a win in their pockets until the 87^th minute when they conceded a goal. Unfortunately for Villarreal, they conceded another goal, and they ended up losing this game 2-1. As far as the Europa League goes, Villarreal has been fantastic, and Alcacer and Moreno are their leading goalscorers with 6 goals each, while Chukwueze and Moreno added 4 assists each. Iborra, Foyth, and Chukwueze are all injured for Villarreal. With a fantastic coach behind them, Villarreal can definitely win this competition, and it would be well-deserved, but as we saw in their game against Real Madrid, Villarreal’s focus tends to drop as the game progresses, and that is something they will need to avoid in this matchup. Overall, this was a good season for Villarreal, and if they want to win this competition, Villarreal will need to have their best game of the season yet.

United was able to snap out of their 3-game streak without a win, and it was just in time for this match. Manchester has finished the EPL in 2^nd place, and whether they win or lose in this game, United will be in the Champions League next week. United hasn’t been the best defensive team this season, but they have been extremely sloppy lately, and United has conceded at least 1 goal in their last 7 games in a row. Offensively, United has been scoring a lot of goals this season, and they are the second-best offensive team in the EPL. United has gotten into this competition by finishing third in their Champions League group, but they have been dominant since. Fernandes and Cavani have each scored 5 goals for United in the Europa League, while Fernandes added 4 assists as well. Jones and Martial will miss this game for sure, while Maguire is still questionable, but he will most likely be in the lineup. Coach Solskjaer was resting all of his starters in their last EPL game, and that was a smart move because it reduced the risk of injury, and trust me, United will need all of their players to beat Villarreal. Manchester United is a great team, but it usually takes them a while to warm up and to start playing their best soccer, and in most cases, they concede a goal first, but they are able to come back. United has a ton of offensive firepower, and they are solid in midfield and on the defensive end, but they will need to remain focused and even if they are ahead by a goal or two, Villarreal is good enough to get back fast.

These two teams have played 4 times against each other in the past, and all 4 games ended in a 0-0 draw, but I don’t see that happening here. Both teams are good in the attacking end, but both teams also tend to make mistakes on the defensive end. Villarreal has one advantage in this matchup, and that is coach Unai Emery who has won this competition multiple times. United has had a privilege to rest their players in their last game while Villarreal didn’t and that could have a massive impact on this game. United is the favorite here, and I think they will win this game, but I see more value with the over, and I will take it.