Manchester United and Tottenham will be confronted next week in the Europa League final in a battle for a place under Europe elite.
The winner deserves a place in the Champions League of next season, a reward that may be worth more than £ 100 million.
A lot has been made about whether that price is suitable or not, in view of the fact that United and Spurs currently occupy 16th and 17th place in the Premier League – but UEFA does not change their rules for the two underperformers.
Qualification would mean a huge amount for both clubs, with the temptation of the Champions League which means that more top talent can be tempted to participate in the summer – not to mention a huge boost for their transfer kitty.
For Spurs, the money would be the icing on the gigantic cake that ends their 17-year waiting time for a trophy.
While United almost has to win competition in view of their current financial situation, with a defeat means a huge loss of potential income in the midst of a whole series of cost-saving measures by Sir Jim Racliffe and his Ineos team.
As soon as reaching the Champions League, it would continue until the end to a potential £ 95 million extra for the final winner – but United and Spurs will be aware that their chances of going completely are slim.
Of the eight different teams that have received qualification in the Champions League by winning the Europa League over the past 10 years, only one has reached the semi -final.
That was Villarreal, who were beaten out of the tournament by the final winners Liverpool.
Man Utd participated in the competition thanks to their Europa League success 2017 under Jose Mourinho, only to lose from Sevilla in the round of 16.
Casino Special – Best Casino Bonuses of £ 10 deposits
While Chelsea did the same in 2019 and was also kicked by Bayern Munich in the last 16.
United and Chelsea are two of the six teams that reached the last 16 after qualifying via the Europa League.
While Sevilla did not store the group phases twice and Atalanta was eliminated from this year's competition in the qualifying knockout round.
Although it provides gloomy lecture for fans of Man Utd and Spurs, it is worth mentioning that the temptation – and money injection – of playing in the Champions League has helped teams that have qualified through the Europa League attract large players.
It was United's entry to the 2017/18 competition that helped them to sign Romelu Lukaku, Nemanja Matic and Victor Lindelof in the following summer.
Chelsea was unable to buy players after their success because they were struck with a transfer ban after violations from the Academy Player Rule.
Anyway, the prize that is waiting for the winner of 'Hell Clasico' of next week is something that cannot be underestimated and can have a huge impact on both clubs for the coming years.