Manchester United will aim to secure a spot in the UEFA Europa League final when they welcome Athletic Club to Old Trafford on Thursday.
Only two more matches remain before we learn our finalists for the 2024/25 UEFA Europa League. Manchester United vs Athletic Club will be one of the two semi-finals, with the teams locking horns in the second leg at Old Trafford on Thursday.
Manchester United qualified for the UEFA Europa League semi-final by the skin of their teeth after clinching a narrow victory over Lyon in the quarter-final. Real Sociedad fell prey to the Red Devils in the round of 16, while the English giants are the only unbeaten team in the tournament. However, the Premier League has only brought despair for Ruben Amorim’s men, who suffered a 4-3 defeat to Brentford this past weekend.
On the other hand, Athletic Club might start focusing solely on La Liga after the defeat in the first leg. The Basque giants are fourth in the league standings, with sixth-placed Real Betis only four points behind with four games left in the 2024/25 campaign. So, while Los Leoes will likely end a memorable UEFA Europa League campaign this week, they will have bowed out with their heads held high.
The first leg ended in a straightforward 3-0 win for Manchester United, with Bruno Fernandes scoring a match-winning brace. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Manchester United
Ruben Amorim has a new injury concern that is hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Manchester United manager will be bereft of the services of five first-team players vs Athletic Club on Thursday.
Matthijs de Ligt is the latest absentee after picking up a knock this past weekend against Brentford. The Dutch defender has joined Lisandro Martinez (knee), Diogo Dalot (calf), Ayden Heaven (ankle), and Joshua Zirkzee (hamstring) on the sidelines.
Andre Onana will take his spot between the sticks, with Manchester United lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of him vs Athletic Club on Thursday. The central defensive unit will feature Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, and Leny Yoro. Meanwhile, there is no looking past Noussair Mazraoui and Patrick Dorgu as the two wing-backs.
As for the midfield unit, Casemiro will line up alongside Manuel Ugarte in the double pivot in the middle of the park. Finally, Rasmus Hojlund will lead the line for Manchester United against Athletic Club, with Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho providing creative support.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Onana; Lindelof, Maguire, Yoro; Mazraoui, Ugarte, Casemiro, Dorgu; Bruno Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund
Athletic Club
Like his counterpart in the Manchester United dugout, Ernesto Valverde has new issues to worry about ahead of the trip to Old Trafford. The Athletic Club manager will be without four first-team players on Thursday.
Inaki Williams (hamstring) and Nico Williams (groin) are the latest absentees, with the duo missing the trip to Manchester United. In addition, Dani Vivian is not in the travelling squad after seeing red in the first leg. The trio accompanies Oihan Sancet (muscle) on the sidelines.
Julen Agirrezabala will take his spot between the sticks, with Athletic Club lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Manchester United on Thursday. The backline should feature Oscar De Marcos, Aitor Paredes, Yeray Alvarez, and Yuri Berchiche.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta and Mikel Jaurezigar. Alex Berenguer will reprise the no. 10 role, with Alvaro Djalo and Unai Gomez being the two wide attackers. Finally, Maroan Sannadi will spearhead the Athletic Club attack against Manchester United on Thursday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Agirrezabala; De Marcos, Paredes, Yeray Alvarez, Berchiche; Ruiz de Galarreta, Jaureguizar; Djalo, Berenguer, Gomez; Sannadi
Key Stats
- In the five previous matches between Manchester United and Athletic Club, there have been 22 goals (4.4 per game), with the Red Devils scoring 12 and conceding 10. All five of those matches have seen at least three goals scored. Meanwhile, in all major European competitions, only one side has ever won the first leg of a two-legged knockout tie away from home by 3+ goals and failed to progress, with Maccabi Tel Aviv doing so against Olympiasos in the 2023-24 UEFA Conference League last 16 (4-1 away win, 6-1 home defeat after extra-time).”
- Athletic Club have lost seven of their nine previous away games against English sides in all European competitions (W1 D1), although their most recent was a 3-2 win over Manchester United in March 2012 in the UEFA Europa League.
- Manchester United have lost only one of their last 30 home games in the UEFA Europa League (W23 D6), a 0-1 group stage defeat to Real Sociedad in September 2022. They must lose by at least three goals to not progress from this tie – the Red Devils have never in their history lost a home game in any European competition by a margin of 3+ goals.
- Manchester United have scored 31 goals in this season’s UEFA Europa League – more than any other side. Only in 2002/03 (32) and 2020/21 (34) did they score more in a single campaign in major European competition.
- Athletic Club have forced more shot-ending high turnovers than any other side in the UEFA Europa League this season (26), while Manchester United rank second for this (23).
Player to Watch
Bruno Fernandes
While Alex Berenguer, Rasmus Hojlund, and Alejandro Garnacho were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Bruno Fernandes as our Player to Watch for Thursday’s UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg between Manchester United and Athletic Club at Old Trafford.
The Portuguese international has led by example and scored a match-winning brace as the Red Devils eased to a 3-0 win over Athletic Club in the second leg. So, with Manchester United looking to put the tie to bed, Fernandes will be Amorim’s go-to man to finish Athletic Club’s European hopes.
Prediction
Manchester United 2-1 Athletic Club
Manchester United will likely breathe easy after cruising to a 3-0 win over Athletic Club last week. That would have given the Red Devils a safety net should they underperform in the second leg. That might happen as Ruben Amorim starts planning for the UEFA Europa League final.
For Athletic Club, the absence of the Williams brothers is a devastating blow considering the pair’s influence in the final third. However, the Basque outfit will not go down without a fight, and they will take Manchester United close. But that might not be enough, and The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Ruben Amorim and his charges.