Man Utd vs. Athletic Club: Preview, Predictions and Lineups | OneFootball

Manchester United will confirm their place in the Europa League final on Thursday evening should they avoid losing by more than two goals at home to Athletic Club in their semifinal second leg.

Bruno Fernandes' brace and Casemiro's effort secured a 3–0 first leg victory over the ten-man Basque outfit in Bilbao last week, meaning the Red Devils are in an extremely strong position to reach the showpiece fixture. Should they avoid a collapse at Old Trafford, they will face either Tottenham Hotspur or Bodø/Glimt - the former most likely after their 3–1 first leg triumph.

Given United's underwhelming home form this season, they will be taking nothing for granted during Athletic Club's visit. Since the competition's rebranding in 2009, only Valencia have overturned a three-goal deficit from a knockout first leg to progress, beating Basel 5–0 after extra-time in the second leg of the quarterfinals in 2013–14.

Athletic Club are hoping to become the second La Liga side to achieve the feat midweek but have made life extremely difficult for themselves, even against the unpredictable United. They will take solace from the Red Devils' Old Trafford record, however, with eight home defeats in the Premier League this term.

Here is Sports Illustrated's guide to the second leg.

What Time Does Man Utd vs. Athletic Club Kick-Off?

Man Utd vs. Athletic Club Head-to-Head Record (All Games)

Current Form (all competitions)

How to Watch Man Utd vs. Athletic Club on TV

Man Utd Team News

Matthijs de Ligt will miss out for the Red Devils / IMAGO / Sportimage

Matthijs de Ligt added his name to the injury list at the weekend during the 4–3 defeat to Brentford and Ruben Amorim has confirmed his absence for Thursday and the upcoming Premier League clash with West Ham United.

The Portuguese also revealed that young duo Ayden Heaven and Toby Collyer will both be unavailable for the second leg, meaning they join Diogo Dalot, Joshua Zirkzee and Lisandro Martínez on the sidelines.

In better news, Noussair Mazraoui and Christian Eriksen are available for United, while Amad Diallo scored on his Premier League return last weekend as he got some more minutes under his belt following a lengthy layoff.

Man Utd Predicted Lineup vs. Athletic Club

Man Utd predicted lineup vs. Athletic Club (3-4-2-1): Onana; Yoro, Maguire, Lindelöf; Mazraoui, Ugarte, Casemiro, Dorgu; Garnacho, Højlund, Fernandes.

Athletic Club Team News

Nico Williams will not be involved / IMAGO/Ricardo Larreina Amador

Athletic Club have been dealt several devastating injury blows as Ernesto Valverde will be without Nico Williams and brother Iñaki Williams. Neither have been named in the travelling squad, while key attacking midfielder Oihan Sancet also misses out.

Dani Vivian was dismissed during the first leg and is therefore suspended for the trip to Old Trafford, but Valverde at least has Óscar de Marcos and Unai Gómez at his disposal after recent fitness concerns.

Athletic Club Predicted Lineup vs. Man Utd

Athletic Club predicted lineup vs. Man Utd (4-2-3-1): Agirrezabala; De Marcos, Paredes, Yeray, Berchiche; De Galarreta, Jauregizar; Djaló, Gómez, Berenguer; Sannadi.

Man Utd vs. Athletic Club Score Prediction

United know that their place in the Europa League final is all but guaranteed and their best performances have come against foreign opposition this season. They showcased their quality against an admittedly depleted Athletic Club side during the first leg and will be confident of doing the double over their Basque opponents.

That confidence will have only increased since laying eyes on Athletic Club's travelling squad, with the Williams brothers and Sancet enormous misses in the final third. Even with their best and brightest on the field, Valverde's side would have had an almost impossible assignment, but their chances of an iconic comeback are infinitesimally small without their star forwards.