Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur will clash in Bilbao on Wednesday in a high-stakes Europa League final that could rescue their disastrous seasons and open the gates to Champions League football - and a windfall worth over 100 million.
The match, held at Athletic Bilbao's iconic San Mames Stadium, pits two of the Premier League's biggest underachievers against each other. United and Spurs have recorded a combined 39 league defeats this season, with United languishing in 16th place and Tottenham just one position above the drop zone.
But despite their domestic woes, both sides are one win away from a major European trophy and the lucrative promise of Champions League qualification, which could ease financial pressures and shift the narrative around their troubled campaigns.
United boss Ruben Amorim, who is enduring a difficult first season at Old Trafford, admitted that while a Europa League win wont solve the club's deep-rooted issues, it would certainly lift the mood.
"We have bigger things to deal with, to put this club back to the top," said Amorim. "But winning a European title changes how people see you - it matters."