Man Utd team news vs Athletic Bilbao and predicted lineup | OneFootball

Relying on Europa League to save their season, Manchester United are likely to go all-in against Athletic Bilbao when they face off in the first leg on Thursday at 8pm.

Man Utd predicted lineup vs Athletic Bilbao

Man Utd (3-4-2-1): Onana; Yoro, Maguire, Shaw; Mazraoui, Ugarte, Casemiro, Dorgu; Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund.

Man Utd team news vs Athletic Bilbao

Man Utd failed to win in both of their games after the miraculous comeback win against Lyon in the Europa League quarter finals, losing to Wolverhampton Wanderers at home and drawing at Bournemouth.

Still, Ruben Amorim said it himself that the focus had shifted heavily towards the continental tournament and that he would have to “take risks with the kids” in the Premier League. Going by his own words, it’s hard to imagine a starting lineup to face Bilbao that doesn’t include all the best available players.

Amorim has some decisions to make ahead of Man Utd away trip to Athletic Bilbao. Of the team that beat Lyon in the previous round, Diogo Dalot is out with a calf injury, which could lead to Noussair Mazraoui moving to right-back and someone like Luke Shaw filling the centre-back spot.

Lisandro Martínez, Joshua Zirkzee remain out, while Amad Diallo, Matthijs de Ligt and Altay Bayindir are also likely to miss the match. Kobbie Mainoo made his first two starts in Man Utd last two games after coming back from a two-month absence, but is expected to return to the bench and make way for the Casemiro-Manuel Ugarte pairing in midfield.

A different kind of opponent

Man Utd beat Lyon in the quarter finals, a team with a leaky defence and a certain managerial instability, given head coach Paulo Fonseca’s domestic suspension, playing under one boss in Ligue 1 and another in the Europa League.

Athletic Bilbao, however, present a different — almost opposite — challenge. Ernesto Valverde has a long history at the club, his squad under control and is responsible for the third-best defence out of any team in Europe’s top five leagues across all competitions (0.85 goals conceded per game) and the second-best at home (0.63 goals conceded per game).

Luckily for Man Utd, the Spanish side are set to be without their top goalscorer for the season. Midfielder Oihan Sancet picked up a muscle injury early in their win over Las Palmas and had to be subbed off after just over 20 minutes. That’s 17 goals and three assists in 2024-25 that Ernesto Valverde could be missing this Thursday.

The Red Devils, on the other hand, will be hoping Rasmus Hojlund carries his form over to San Mames to help them penetrate Bilbao’s elite defensive system. The Dane bagged a late equaliser against Bournemouth over the weekend and will be looking to score in consecutive matches for the first time since December.