Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has finally broken the so-called “semi-final curse” in guiding Manchester United to the Europa League final where they face Villarreal.
But the Norwegian will need no reminding that there can be no room for complacency or error in going up against a familiar face in Unai Emery.
Solskjaer will be desperate to end his trophy drought after being in the dugout for two-and-a-half years at Old Trafford. It comes after three consecutive defeats in semi-finals of the Europa League, FA Cup and EFL Cup in 2019/20.
This time, he takes his side to the Polish city of Gdansk for United’s second Europa League final in four years, having beaten Ajax under Jose Mourinho in the 2016/17 final.
But Emery has already claimed a scalp by stunning his former club Arsenal in the semi-finals and the Europa League specialist, with three titles already under his belt, will be gunning for a fourth after missing out in the 2018/19 season.
On quality and squad depth alone, Man United will certainly feel they have the edge heading into Wednesday's showpiece event.
Solskjaer has also had the luxury of being able to rest senior players in the final games of the reason in preparing for the final and that could give the Premier League giants the edge.
But with such a large squad and only 11 starting places available, the Red Devils boss faces a number of key decisions to make before picking his lineup…
De Gea or Henderson
It’s almost an impossible choice for Solskjaer to make.
Does he plump for David de Gea, an experienced goalkeeper who could be making his final appearance in goal after spending 10 years with the club.
Or is it time to put his faith in the budding stopper Dean Henderson, viewed as United’s number one for the next decade to come?
De Gea is one of the world’s best on his day, but those days may now be behind him. The Spaniard has also missed several games in the run-in, in which Henderson deputised, following the birth of his daughter.
In terms of momentum, Henderson will be confident of a starting berth after starting 10 out of the last 12 league matches.
But de Gea has been in between the sticks for all four European knockout ties so far and if Solskjaer is even slightly superstitious, he may feel his duty is to stick with his goalkeeper for that competition.
Experience over youth
It feels like this could be the stage for Edinson Cavani to write his name in the Manchester United history books.
The Uruguayan has enjoyed a fine debut campaign in England with 16 goals in all competitions, despite being used predominantly from the bench.
He has scored five times in his last three Europa League matches, including a double against Roma in the semi-final first leg.
There would be some temptation on Solskjaer’s part to hand a start to Mason Greenwood after the 19-year-old’s breakthrough season, and he could still feature on the right-wing.
But Cavani, 34, is prolific in front of goal and his experience of high-magnitude European matches — he was a substitute for the last season’s Champions League final — suggests he will be the man to lead their attack.
Midfield pairings
Assuming that both Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes will start the final in Poland, there are only a finite number of spots available in Solskjaer’s midfield.
Fred and Scott McTominay will be battling to make their case, particularly if Marcus Rashford and Edinson Cavani are both handed starting places in attack.
That would mean Solskjaer is likely to use a 4-2-3-1, leaving only two spaces in the central midfield to be snapped up — one of which could be taken by Pogba if Greenwood is used on the right.
Clearly, McTominay is a reliable performer for Solskjaer and that is reflected in the 48 appearances he has made this season. But Fred seems to be improving with every game and his dynamic passing from deep positions will make it a difficult choice for his manager.
It remains possible that both players start if Solskjaer opts to stick with the same XI that beat Roma 6-2 in the semi-final first leg, which would send a clear message to £40m Donny van de Beek that he still has to carve out a future for himself at Old Trafford.
