Barring a disaster, Manchester United will contest the Europa League final in Gdansk later this month.
The Reds' stylish performance in the first leg of the semi-final against Roma gave them a four-goal advantage with a 6-2 win at Old Trafford, meaning it would take a remarkable display from the Italians to claw back the deficit.
It now looks inevitable, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is looking to lead United to their first major final in any competition of his tenure, having been previously knocked out of four semi-finals across his reign, including the Europa League semi-final last season.
“Of course, we are all wanting to win trophies at this club,” admitted Solskjaer recently. Well, United have clearly made significant progress under the Norwegian, but his first piece of silverware at the club continues to elude him.
Winning the Europa League this term could be a watershed moment in Solskjaer's career at United, but just by reaching the final he would be achieving something that his predecessors in the post- Sir Alex Ferguson era have all failed to do.
United have won each of their last four Europa League games, and they last won five successive European matches in May 2011, before losing to Barcelona in the Champions League final at Wembley.
So, if Solskjaer wants to do what United haven't done since Ferguson was manager, he'll have to approach Thursday's clash at the Stadio Olimpico with a ruthless mentality, playing a strong side with minimal rotation.
