United aim to end trophy drought

"My wife's birthday is on the 26th; we got married on the 26th, so I have to believe in destiny, or skjebne [in Norwegian]. It's a special number for us, for my family as well. I've got to take this as a good omen. I'm not very superstitious but it looks like a good sign."

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær told UFA.Com during an interview when he was asked whether he believe in destiny as his birthday is February 26, the '99 final was May 26, Sir Matt Busby was born on May 26, this season's final is on May 26.

Manchester United will fly to Poland to face Villarreal in the Europa League final on Wednesday as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hopes to claim his first trophy as Red Devils boss.

Villarreal have qualified for a European final for the first time in their history under the guidance of former Arsenal manager Unai Emery. The La Liga outfit enter the game as underdogs but they have the potential to spring up a surprise against their Premier League counterparts.

This will be United's first final under Solskjaer after the Norweigan failed to take his club beyond a semi-final four times in two seasons. United are aiming to deliver a first trophy since they won the same competition in 2017. Doing so would prevent their trophy drought from stretching into a fifth year – the club has never gone so long without silverware since before the arrival of legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

This is the fifth meeting between the two sides. Surprisingly, all four of their previous encounters ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

Solskjaer deployed a youthful team against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday. Goals from Anthony Elanga and Juan Mata ensured that the Red Devils finished their domestic campaign with a 2-1 victory. Contrary to them, Villareal lost their final La Liga game 2-1 to Real Madrid. Unai Emery's side led the game for 87 minutes.

In their previous five games in all competitions, both clubs have won twice, lost twice and drew once.