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Athletic Bilbao and Manchester United will lock horns on Thursday at the San Mames Barria in the first leg of their Europa League semi-finals. Athletic Club punched their tickets to the semi-finals, only their third in Europe, by beating Rangers 2-0 on aggregate, while Manchester United pulled a rabbit out of the hat to get past Lyon in their quarter-final tie.
The last two times the Basque club made it this far, they managed to proceed to secure a spot in the final. However, they did eventually finish as the runners-up on both occasions.
The final will be held on San Mames Barria, on Athletic Bilbao's home turf and Ernesto Valverde and men will be motivated to ensure they make the most of this golden opportunity.
Meanwhile, the Red Devils produced one of the most dramatic comebacks of all time to snatch their tickets to the semis from the jaws of defeat against Lyon. United relinquished a two-goal lead in the second half to let the game trickle into extra time.
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Much to the dismay of the Old Trafford faithful, the Red Devils found themselves trailing by two goals with just a little over 10 minutes remaining on the clock.
That is despite Lyon being a man down and it looked like we were watching what was going to be filed as yet another harrowing night for Manchester United from this largely forgettable campaign.
But United did what they did best and Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo's strikes in the last seven minutes saw them restore parity. Their much-maligned centre-back Harry Maguire then scored a spectacular header to wrestle a semi-final berth from the French side's grasp.
Athletic Bilbao vs Manchester United Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- `This marks the first European meeting between these two sides since the Europa League last 16 round in the 2011-12 season. Athletic won both legs and the tie 5-3 on aggregate.
- United have lost three out of four European matches against Athletic Bilbao, with their lone win coming all the way back in February 1957, where they won the second leg of that season's European Cup 3-0. United won the tie 6-5 on aggregate.
- The Basque side have progressed from their last two European semi-finals, the latest of which came in the 2011-12 season against Sporting CP.
- United are unbeaten in the 2024-25 Europa League so far, winning seven and drawing five of their matches.
- Athletic have been victorious in each of their six UEFA Europa League matches played at San Mames.
Athletic Bilbao vs Manchester United Prediction
Manchester United may have struggled domestically but they have been a force to reckon with in the Europa League. Athletic, however, should be able to eke out a narrow win on Thursday night, in no short part, thanks to their solid defense as well as their home advantage.
Prediction: Athletic Bilbao 2-1 Manchester United
Athletic Bilbao vs Manchester United Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Athletic Bilbao to win
Tip 2: Game to have over 2.5 goals - Yes
Tip 3: Both teams to score - Yes
