Athletic Bilbao vs Manchester United: Europa League prediction, kick-off time, TV, live stream, team news, h2h, odds

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Evening Standard

·30. April 2025

Athletic Bilbao vs Manchester United: Europa League prediction, kick-off time, TV, live stream, team news, h2h, odds

Ruben Amorim’s Red Devils travel to the Basque Country in semi-final first-leg clash

Manchester United visit Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final tie on Thursday night.

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The quarter-finals were certainly not short on drama as United scored three goals in a frenetic period of extra time to turn over Lyon, while Athletic saw off Rangers 2-0 on aggregate. It will be the two clubs’ first meeting since the 2011-12 Europa League round of 16, with their only other meetings coming back in 1957.

Ruben Amorim will hope to keep the semi-final rather more straightforward, but that may not be easy - barring the Lyon comeback, United are winless since March 16, when they beat Leicester 3-0.

Athletic are in the midst of a strong season, sitting fourth in LaLiga with just one loss in their last 10 matches across all competitions.

They have recorded four draws in that time, though, three of which were goalless. Whether United can overcome such a stern defence will prove pivotal.

Date, kick-off time and venue

Athletic Bilbao vs Manchester United is scheduled for an 8pm BST kick-off on Thursday May 1, 2025.

The match will take place at the Estadio de San Mames in Bilbao, which will also host the Europa League final on May 21.

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Martin Rickett/PA Wire

Where to watch Athletic Bilbao vs Manchester United

TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage beginning at 7pm.

Live stream: TNT Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Discovery+ app and website.

Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog.

Free highlights: The TNT Sports app and YouTube channel will show highlights at full-time.

Athletic Bilbao vs Manchester United team news

United have struggled with injuries of late, but are set to welcome back a few for the trip to Spain.

Matthijs de Ligt and Amad Diallo both trained on Wednesday morning which suggests they’re not too far away from returning. Altay Bayindir and Toby Collyer also took part in the training session and could be available for selection.

However, Diogo Dalot, Joshua Zirkzee, and Lisandro Martinez will all remain sidelined.

Matthijs de Ligt is close to a return for Manchester United

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Athletic are set to have Nico Williams available for the tie. He suffered an ankle injury ahead of the recent visit to the Bernabeu to face Real Madrid, but he returned to the bench last week as Ernesto Valverde’s side beat Las Palmas. He did not feature in that match, but his selection for pre-match media duties suggests he is ready to start.

Top scorer Oihan Sancet will miss the match in a major boost to Amorim. The attacking midfielder, who has 17 goals and three assists in all competitions this season, is also a doubt for the second leg, having struggled with recurring hamstring issues this year.

Athletic Bilbao vs Manchester United prediction

Athletic will come into this match with a healthy defence and a weakened front line. United come into it with a relatively strong defence and a misfiring attack.

These factors will likely combine for a low-scoring match. If fit, Williams’ star factor will prove to be key, as will Fernandes’ for United.

While Athletic will want to secure a healthy lead heading into the second leg at Old Trafford, it will be easier said than done. A stalemate looks most likely.

Draw, 1-1