Manchester United supporters will be able to travel to Gdansk to watch their team play Villarreal in the Europa League final after Polish authorities waived local quarantine rules.

United and Villarreal are scheduled to play at the Stadion Miejski on May 26 in front of 9,500 people.

The stadium will be restricted to 25 per cent capacity, with United receiving 2,000 tickets. English fans will have to quarantine upon their return to the UK but they will not need to isolate upon their arrival in Poland.

In a statement the Polish authorities said:

“Each person who has a ticket for the Europa League final in Gdansk, arriving from the United Kingdom, does not have to take the test after arrival.

“According to the decision of Polish authorities 9,500 football fans can take part in the event. Most of them will arrive from abroad.

“Traveling by air is subject to many restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

“So far, the travelers from Schengen zone can be exempted from the quarantine in Poland based on general regulations or based on the test performed in the country of departure or after their arrival to Poland.

“However, any persons arriving from non-Schengen countries must do the test in Poland.

“In order to facilitate the arrival of British football fans to the Europa League final to Gdansk, (the) Polish government has changed the regulation, allowing for their arrival with a test performed in the UK.”

Europa League Preview

Villarreal Route to the final
Group I winners
Round of 32: 4-1 Salzburg
Round of 16: 4-0 Dynamo Kyiv
Quarter-finals: 3-1 Dinamo Zagreb
Semi-finals: 2-1 Arsenal

Why this is their year
The temptation is to talk about the nourishing strike partnership of Gerard Moreno and Paco Alcácer. Or Raúl Albiol, the World Cup winner who has, aged 35, been utterly magnificent this season. Pau Torres? An exceptional left-footed passer. But it’s impossible to ignore the impact of Unai Emery. A Europa League winner three times, runner-up with Arsenal a couple of seasons ago – he was signed to take Villarreal to a final and look what he’s done.

Tactics
Emery can adapt according to circumstances and opportunities, but this season Villarreal have alternated between 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 depending on the situation or opponent. Set plays are important, careful husbandry of possession too. But central to this version of the Yellow Submarine is that Emery will analyse to millimetric depth and instruct his team accordingly.

Key players: Gerard Moreno & Raúl Albiol
Spanish international Moreno is in the form of his life, sheer class in his finishing, brimming with confidence. This category should be his and his alone, but then there is Raúl Albiol. The defender has returned from several years in Serie A ever more competitive, smarter, oozing leadership, brilliant in the air, and looking several years younger than his passport age.

Manchester United Route to the final
Qualified: Transferred from UEFA Champions League
Round of 32: 4-0 Real Sociedad
Round of 16: 2-1 AC Milan
Quarter-finals: 4-0 Granada
Semi-finals: 8-5 Roma

Why this is their year
Last season’s semi-final defeat by Sevilla hurt Ole Gunnar Solskjær and his players. United had paid a heavy price for their profligacy – and are determined not to make the same mistakes this time, as evidenced by their ruthless first-leg display against Roma as they look to end their longest run without a trophy since the 1980s.

Tactics
Solskjær normally sets his team up in a 4-2-3-1 formation but has been known to deploy a 3-4-1-2 system, and has even experimented with a 4-4-2 diamond.

Key player: Bruno Fernandes
His goals and assists – 27 and 17 respectively in 55 appearances this term – speak for themselves, but Bruno Fernandes’s leadership qualities are no less important to this United side.