The first leg of the Europa League semi-finals is an old league rivalry. Whoever wins will face either Bodo/Glimt or Tottenham Hotspur in the finals at San Mames.
Facts
- Athletic Bilbao won twice against Manchester United in the 2011-2012 Europa League quarter finals.
- Manchester United are the best attackers in the Europa League with 28 goals.
- Bilbao is 6/6 at home in the Europa League.
- The last three Manchester United games have ended with BTTS & Over 3.5 Goals.
Athletic Bilbao - Manchester United Betting Tip
Athletic Bilbao are unbeaten at home. They are primed to continue this streak and enter this big match against Manchester as a big step towards the final. Our pick is Athletic Bilbao WIN.
Prediction: Athletic Bilbao WIN
- Odds: 2.00
- Stake: 4
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao are very strong at home and have won every single game so far. Even after rotating the squad, they managed to score a 1-0 win against Las Palmas in La Liga. Since there were no La Liga games on the weekend, Bilbao will be fresh in the faceoff against United.
In the Europa League quarterfinals, Bilbao secured a 2-0 home win against Rangers. Sancet and Nico Williams were heroes of the match, first converting a penalty during the stoppage time (45+4’), while Williams sealed the deal with a header in the 80th minute.
Ernesto Valverde is doing a fine job managing the team this season. He brought them one step away from the Europa League finals and the 4th place in La Liga. There’s a high chance Bilbao fans will get to cheer for their team in next year’s Champions League, too.
Manchester United
This season, Manchester was a team in the process of finding its footing. Their win against Lyon (5-4) massively contributed to their morale, and it was their best win of the season. But, it wasn’t as smooth sailing as they wished.
After an early lead led by Udarte’s and Dalot’s goals in (10’ and 45+1’), their clean sheet was gone. At the 71st minute, Tolisso went past the Manchester goalkeeper, followed by Tagliafico’s equaliser almost 10 minutes later, leading the match into extra time.
United was then fighting a tough battle against Lyon. By the 110th minute, Lyon managed to score twice, waking up United’s attackers, led by the captain Bruno Fernandes, who scored in the 114th minute. With Harry Maguire’s header, the team made a late-match comeback similar to that of the 1999 CL final comeback.
United has scored 28 goals and has one of the strongest attacks in the Europa League. They are laser-focused on scoring, but, sadly, they just as easily concede their matches. Expect a high-scoring match once more.
