Questions will be answered at San Mames

The sort of topics fans can discuss ad nauseum without the requisite knowledge to truly understand the imponderables and intricacies that are out of reach to us supporters.

First and foremost, just how important is match fitness? Who had it right last Friday, Ruben Amorim or Ange Postecoglou? Is keeping rhythm preferable to risking injury? Should players remain fully charged or be wrapped in cotton wool?

The fact the two bosses took such polar views for the games against Chelsea and Aston Villa respectively means it is a debate even more engaging than usual. Could it be argued the fact the Reds did not appear to suffer any issues at Stamford Bridge suggests it was a risk worth taking?

Or will Spurs be fresher for the San Mames encounter, having rested most of their key individuals? I guess there is a feeling rustiness may play a part. For instance, the north Londoners’ centre-back Micky van de Ven, the fastest player in the Premier League this term, has only played two games in the division since mid-March.

And the same questions can be posed about the players busting a gut to prove their fitness for kick-off. Leny Yoro, Diogo Dalot and Joshua Zirkzee all trained at Carrington and were part of the squad that travelled to Bilbao.

Yoro only recently sustained his injury, in the defeat to West Ham United, but the other two have had relatively lengthy spells out. No matter how compelling the argument may be for finding a spot in the XI for them, would they be better served in providing cameos off the bench?

Only Amorim knows the answer to this. Similarly, with Spurs, just how sharp are they going to be? How do you balance that with any concern that a couple of his team-mates may not be quite at 100 per cent due to their rotation?

We just do not know the answers. If Spurs fly out of the traps and last the duration better, there will be many championing Postecoglou’s approach as the correct one. If Amorim manages to get the best tune out of his squad with carefully considered management, he will be the one able to say there is no room for an overly cautious policy, particularly when it comes to a club like Manchester United.

There are numerous other themes pervading the thoughts of those eagerly anticipating this all-English battle for silverware. How much of an advantage is it for the capital club that they have already beaten us three times this season? Does it suggest they have our number or, by the sheer laws of probability, does a fourth win in one campaign somehow make it less likely?

United have performed so well in Europe, remaining unbeaten in the competition, but have clearly struggled against domestic opponents. Yet this is a game against a Premier League side in the Europa League, so how does that sit? Ruben feels their physicality marks Spurs out as very different rivals to, say, Real Sociedad, but this is a trophy we lifted a lot more recently (2017) than Tottenham Hotspur’s triumph in 1984.

So does history come into it, like ex-Reds skipper Roy Keane has suggested? United, for all our failings at league level in 2024/25, are in a fourth final in the past three seasons. Last year, in another do-or-die encounter, against all the odds, Erik ten Hag’s men overcame Manchester City at Wembley in a glorious illustration of how this club can aways rise to the occasion.

Yet does that count for anything come 20:00 BST in the Basque Country? It is impossible to tell. What we also know is Ruben’s side have very recent knowledge of San Mames, its environment and, maybe even more than that, happy memories associated with the stadium, following the superb 3-0 away win against Athletic Club in the first leg of the semi-final.

Can this provide a psychological edge? Were the Basques clearly, on paper at least, more difficult opponents than a Spurs team that is, after all, still below United in the league table with one game remaining?

Yet the task, to many Reds travelling over land and sea to get to see the action, does seem particularly difficult, given the domestic form. Surely nobody will be approaching the final with complete confidence and the fear of missing out on a prized Champions League spot next term is one that fills us with dread.

It is an undeniably magnificent prize to go alongside the trophy itself. We’ve seen the omens coming into the game, how the last time we won this competition, a Portuguese manager had replaced a Dutchman who lifted the FA Cup in the previous campaign. Others have pointed out how this is the year for clubs to end their silverware droughts – consider Newcastle United and Crystal Palace as possible inspiration for Spurs.

However, once again, do those two finals at Wembley actually have any bearing on the outcome at San Mames? Definitely not. We tie ourselves in knots, overthinking these occasions, searching for positives and reasons for optimism, while the nagging doubts and apprehension seep back into the consciousness.

All you can say is that we will know how this ends come tonight and that, despite league form that no Red needs reminding about, even after a hugely testing campaign like this, we have a huge match that means everything towards its climax. A chance to show this really isn’t the worst United team ever. But one that can stand up and be counted and land the spoils in Spain

The opinions in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Manchester United Football Club.