After advancing to the last four in the most dramatic circumstances, Manchester United face a daunting trip to Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League semi-finals. And a shot at European gold is the last remaining chance Ruben Amorim has of making a success out of his first term at the Old Trafford helm.
The Red Devils edged past 10-man Lyon in the quarter-finals of Europe’s second-tier competition after scoring three goals in the final seven minutes of extra time. But Athletic – who are on track to qualify for next season’s Champions League through their finish in La Liga – look certain to offer much stiffer opposition.
The Basque outfit won both home and away legs against United when these two teams met in the Europa League’s last 16 back in 2012. And more than a decade on, it’s fair to say United’s prospects have only worsened while Los Leones look like a club on the rise under former Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde.
As was the case in the last round of the competition, a positive result in the away leg of their semi-final looks crucial for United. And with their season on the line, Mirror Sport breaks down all the necessary info ahead of Thursday’s crunch encounter.
The first of two back-to-back meetings with Athletic will kick off at 8pm BST on Thursday evening. And at the same time, Tottenham Hotspur will get underway at home to Bodo/Glimt in the other semi-final first leg taking place.
Amorim’s men face an uphill task in taking a win from San Mames, where Los Leones have looked particularly ferocious over the last couple of years. Athletic have lost just two of their last 45 outings on home soil – against Atletico Madrid in La Liga and Osasuna in the Copa del Rey.
Contrast that against United’s misfiring form away from home of late, which most recently saw Amorim’s side struggle for their eventual equaliser against 10-man Bournemouth on Sunday. The Red Devils are undefeated in Europe away from Old Trafford this term, though a return of just 10 goals from their last eight road fixtures doesn’t exactly dazzle.
United’s visit to the Basque Country will be broadcast on TNT Sports 1 for those watching in the United Kingdom. Elsewhere, audio listeners can access commentary via BBC Radio 5 Live or talkSPORT radio.
UK audiences can also stream the match live using the Discovery+ app. However, they’ll require an active Discovery+ subscription to do so.
Valverde could hardly hope for a cleaner bill of health coming into the first leg, with striker Oihan Sancet the only casualty after he was forced off in last week’s 1-0 win over Las Palmas. That should see both Williams brother, Nico and Inaki, start in attack for Athletic, while Maroan Sannadi looks likely to lead the line.
The same cannot be said for United, however, as they continue to deal with a slew of injury concerns. Lisandro Martinez and Ayden Heaven are longer-term concerns in defence, while Amad Diallo and Joshua Zirkzee won’t be back featuring in attack for Amorim just yet.
Diogo Dalot is a more recent addition to United’s treatment table after injuring his calf, although news of Matthijs de Ligt’s improving condition is good news. He could help compliment a defence that benefited from the return of Luke Shaw at Bournemouth this past weekend.
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