Tottenham's big learning curve as vital moment highlighted ahead of Man Utd Europa League final

Archie Gray has revealed that Tottenham's 3-2 defeat against Galatasaray was a key point for the team on the way to securing their place in the Europa League final. Next Wednesday evening will see Ange Postecoglou's side come up against Premier League rivals Manchester United in the showpiece finale in Bilbao.

Amid Tottenham's struggles domestically this season with the team remarkably losing 20 times in the league, only two sides have defeated them in the Europa League since their campaign got underway in late September. The first of those came in early November as Galatasaray won 3-2 in Istanbul in what was an extraordinary game at RAMS Park.

Playing in such an intense atmosphere, Postecoglou's young Spurs team found themselves 3-1 down at half-time. They were perhaps lucky it was only three prior to Dominic Solanke's goal 21 minutes from time given the hosts had 28 shots on goal compared to Tottenham's five over the course of the 90 minutes.

A first for players such as Gray and Lucas Bergvall with the youngsters experiencing a very hostile welcome to Galatasaray's home, the former has revealed that it was a "big learning curve" for the team in Europe. Only losing one more time against AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of their round of 16 tie, Tottenham will now be doing everything they can to avoid defeat in Bilbao next Wednesday as they bid to put an end to their trophy hoodoo for good.

"Starting against Qarabag, it was a really proud moment," Gray told Tottenham's official website. "Playing in a European competition for this club and playing in Europe in general is something a lot of people don’t get to do in their careers, so I’m very grateful for that.

"Galatasaray, obviously with the atmosphere, I’ve never witnessed anything like that in football. We couldn't hear ourselves... every time we touched the ball it was just whistles. We couldn't hear a thing! It was a tough game, and we learned from it.

"It was crazy, and a big learning curve for us, especially in Europe, experiencing different ways of teams playing, stadiums, atmospheres and just getting used to it all. I'll probably say that was the point we realised, ‘right, we're in for a journey here’ and from there, we’ve looked solid.

"I loved every second of it. You don’t get to experience atmospheres like that too often. That adds more to the game as well. It was an intense game, we had a red card, then we almost brought it back. It’s an experience I’ll never forget."

So what would winning the Europa League in his debut season at the club mean for Gray? The former Leeds United man said: "It would be a very proud moment for me and my family, to us all as a team, especially for my brothers to be able to look up to me and for me to be able to say I’d won a trophy."

A look behind the scenes & Postecoglou's big decision against Aston Villa. Click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham!

Europa League final

We have an all-English Europa League final and focus now will be on how fans can get their hands on tickets, but also get out to Bilbao for the match on Wednesday, May 21.

The best way to get to Bilbao will be to fly, although most direct flights are now fully booked.

There are other way sto go though, with different airports an option.

Check out SkyScanner here to sort out your travel arrangements.