Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Europa League match.
Manchester United have shifted their attention entirely to the Europa League, with domestic ambitions now out of reach. Despite this focus, the squad are seen as only the third most likely to win the tournament, according to current assessments. Athletic Bilbao are viewed more favourably, ranked second among the contenders.
Athletic Bilbao
Counting on an away win in Bilbao seems overly ambitious. No visiting side has managed to earn even a single point throughout this European campaign. Scoring there has also been a major challenge. Only two of the six travelling teams — Viktoria Plzeň and AS Roma — have found the net, and both still lost by two-goal margins. Slavia Prague came closest to securing a result during the autumn phase, suffering a narrow 1:0 defeat.
Manchester United
Historically, the English side have shown vulnerability in defence, which could work in Athletic Bilbao’s favour. In the previous round against Olympique Lyonnais, Manchester United conceded six goals across both legs, several of which came from mistakes by Andre Onana. Given that background, it is reasonable to expect the hosts to score at least a couple of goals again. The bigger question is whether Manchester United will manage to find the net. In their last six away fixtures, they have scored more than once only in matches against Leicester City, currently bottom of the English Premier League, and Olympique Lyonnais, recording results of 3:0 and 2:2 respectively.
Athletic Bilbao vs Manchester United Prediction
Interestingly, Athletic Bilbao drew 1:1 away to Real Sociedad. We believe the hosts are the stronger of the two Basque clubs and are backing them to win this encounter.
