With their Premier League campaign completely shot, Manchester United look to salvage their season in UEFA competition as they meet Athletic Club for the first leg of their Europa League semifinal matchup on Thursday.
The Red Devils have effectively punted on domestic competition, sitting 14th in the Premier League table and consistently rotating the squad in league matches.
It's seen United fail to win any of their last five league games, but they also stand as the only team remaining who are unbeaten in any of the three European competitions.
Athletic Club are in a different boat, having made a strong recent push domestically to rise to fourth in the La Liga table, level on points with Atletico Madrid and in firm contention to qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season. However, they slogged through two quarterfinal matches against Rangers, needing a pair of second-leg goals to advance.
The Sporting News brings you a comprehensive overview of this critical match for both clubs.
MORE: A complete guide to betting on soccer in the United States
Athletic Club vs. Man United prediction, odds
- Moneyline lean: Draw (+230 on DraftKings)
- Score prediction: Athletic Club 1-1 Man United
United are now going all in on European play and therefore should be motivated to snatch a result on the road.
Yet Athletic Club are by far the best team they will have faced in Europe this season — certainly better than the likes of Wolves and Crystal Palace, who have beaten United in recent Premier League action.
Athletic's biggest issue this season has been a propensity for draws. Having been beaten just twice since early October in league play and four times across all competitions, they also have 11 draws in that span, including four at home. The Red Devils are capable of keeping themselves in the match.
| DraftKings (USA) | |
| Athletic Club win | +105 |
| Draw | +230 |
| Man United win | +285 |
| Both teams to score | Y: -115 N: -110 |
| Over / Under 2.5 goals | Y: +110 N: -150 |
| Athletic Club to advance | -115 |
| Man United to advance | -110 |
Athletic Club vs. Man United match facts
- Date: Thursday, May 1, 2025
- Kickoff Time: 9 p.m. local (3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT)
- Location: San Mames Stadium (Bilbao, Spain)
- Referee: Espen Andreas Eskas (NOR)
- Last meeting: Athletic Club 2-1 Man United (Mar. 15, 2012 | Europa League)
MORE: Latest team news and injury updates ahead of Athletic Club vs. Man United
Athletic Club vs. Man United best bet
- Pick: Under 2.0 total goals
- Odds: +125 (DraftKings)
Everything here screams a grinder between two teams that just wish to keep themselves in the tie. Not only are Athletic Club an excellent defensive side, but both are missing attacking players due to injury who would have provided a key injection of danger to their front lines.
United may get Amad Diallo back in this game, a surprise considering the expectation that he would miss the rest of the season, but he's certainly not ready to start just yet. Athletic, meanwhile, are without main playmaker Oihan Sancet, who was injured over the weekend.
Given this, and Rasmus Hojlund's continued struggles up front, a low-scoring affair seems likely. While the odds are skewed in that direction already, getting plus odds on a one-goal game is reasonable, while a two-goal game still comes with a push.
Athletic Club vs. Man United prop bet
- Pick: Man United over 2.5 yellow cards
- Odds: +158 on FanDuel
Considering Athletic are much better at home than on the road, United will be hoping to keep a lid on this match and get the game back to Old Trafford with the aggregate scoreline level.
To do so, they may need to use their physicality, and the odds present an opening here, as for some reason Athletic are the odds-on favourite to pick up more fouls and yellow cards. Instead, the numbers and situation call for the opposite.
While Athletic have picked up the third-fewest yellow cards in La Liga this season, United have the sixth-most bookings in the Premier League. Add in the venue and situation presented above, there's reason alone for the Red Devils to be flying around the field into tackles, but there's even more to this.
First off, Norwegian referee Espen Eskas has a propensity to let the cards fly, having shown a whopping 11 bookings in his last Europa League game (albeit between Rangers and Fenerbahce, a game anyone could have told you would get chippy), plus five yellow cards between Feyenoord and Inter Milan in his Champions League game prior to that. He even showed Real Madrid three yellow cards in their 3-0 league-phase win over Brest back in late January, proving he's not afraid to stand up to players at big clubs.
Finally, given that yellow-card accumulation resets in the semifinal stage to prevent players from picking up suspensions for the final, there's every reason for United to let it fly in this game if needed.
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