Manchester United only have one game against Athletic Club standing between them and a place in the Europa League final, with The Red Devils heading into the match with several key advantages.
Firstly comes the natural home advantage, with United having beaten Lyon 5-4 in dramatic fashion in the Quarter-Finals at home.
Secondly is their 3-0 aggregate score they carry into the second leg thanks to a Bruno Fernandes brace and Casemiro’s head.
As such, United would need to lose by a margin of three goals to lose their impressive lead, which in European football isn’t unheard of.
However, an impressive second leg comeback is going to be even harder for Athletic Club, with the LaLiga side missing five of their key men for the clash.
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Athletic Club miss five key men from trip to Old Trafford
El Correo has reported that Nico Williams did not feature in Athletic Club’s Tuesday training session which marked the last time the side would train before facing United.
Williams has been suffering with pubalgia which is a chronic groin pain, and his prolonged involvement in the first leg appears to have et him back.
As such Williams missed the clubs LaLiga derby with Real Sociedad on the weekend and is set to miss the second leg with United.
Alongside him is the club’s top goalscorer Oihan Sancet is also set to miss the game through injury after being taken off against Las Palmas last month.
However, more recently, William’s brother Inaki Williams has also been ruled out having taken a blow in their match with Sociedad, requiring MRI scans to assess the extent of the injury.
Unai Gomez is also in serious doubt for the fixture due to injury, with Dani Vivian banned from the game due to his red card in the first leg.
With all five men being so key to Athletic Club’s side, this is a massive boost for Ruben Amorim and his men that they can’t afford to squander.
