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Man Utd Predicted Lineup vs. Athletic Club: Europa League Semifinals

Man Utd hold pole position in their Europa League semifinal with Athletic Club after winning their first leg encounter 3-0.
Man Utd are well on top in their Europa League semifinal
Man Utd are well on top in their Europa League semifinal | IMAGO / Every Second Media

Manchester United are hoping to ease into the Europa League final when they welcome Athletic Club to Old Trafford on Thursday night.

Ruben Amorim's side hold a 3-0 advantage in the tie after impressively prevailing at San Mames last week, but the Portuguese must remind his players that they're only halfway there. Lyon scored four at the Theatre of Dreams last month, and Brentford inflicted more domestic misery upon a heavily rotated Red Devils outfit at the weekend. All it takes is an early goal.

Amorim will welcome his heavy-hitters back to the fold on Thursday as his team aim to complete the job and return to the competition's showpiece event for a third time since 2017.

Here's how United could line up for Athletic Club's visit to Old Trafford in the second leg of their semifinal.


Man Utd Predicted Lineup vs. Athletic Club (3-4-2-1)

Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes scored twice in Man Utd's first leg victory | IMAGO / Every Second Media

GK: Andre Onana—Athletic's early red card meant Onana wasn't as busy as projected last week, and he earned some respite at the weekend as Amorim opted to start Altay Bayindir in west London.

CB: Victor Lindelof—Lindelof is not the ideal solution in a wide centre-back position, but he did a decent job there in the first leg and there are fresh doubts over Matthijs de Ligt's availability.

CB: Harry Maguire—The Englishman has played a major role in United's Europa League campaign thus far, and was instrumental in creating their opening goal last week. Maguire's a shoo-in for the second leg.

CB: Leny Yoro—Young Yoro has performed pretty well in year one after the start of his career in Manchester was hampered by a foot injury. The Frenchman has appeared comfortable on the left side of Amorim's defence in recent weeks.

RWB: Noussair Mazraoui—The conservative Moroccan full-back should supply Lindelof with plenty of help when aiming to slow down Athletic, who fortunately are without brothers Nico and Inaki Williams. Diogo Dalot remains out of action.

CM: Casemiro—Casemiro's resurgence under Amorim has proven to be a great help, and the experienced midfielder has saved some of his best work for Europa League nights. The Brazilian got the ball rolling in Bilbao last Thursday, opening the scoring.

CM: Manuel Ugarte—Ugarte still has plenty to prove in United colours, but Amorim has settled upon this midfield partnership as being his strongest.

LWB: Patrick Dorgu—The January addition has plenty to learn, but the raw traits are there. He's not yet a reliable attacking outlet, but he's a marauder down the left who can contribute in all phases.

AM: Bruno Fernandes—Seriously, where would Manchester United be without Bruno Fernandes? They're not setting the world alight with him, admittedly, but they certainly wouldn't be in this current position. The skipper scored twice in their 3-0 victory last week.

AM: Alejandro Garnacho—Garnacho proved to be a nuisance in Bilbao, and the dynamic of the tie should suit the Argentine on Thursday. He'll have plenty of chances to hurt the visitors in transition.

ST: Rasmus Hojlund—The Dane enjoyed a rest on Sunday ahead of the second leg, with Chido Obi-Martin earning a record-breaking start. Hojlund, like Garnacho, should have opportunities to kill the tie off on Thursday night.


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James Cormack
JAMES CORMACK

James Cormack is a writer for SI FC. Opting against a football coaching undergraduate degree at the last minute, he instead decided to take on a six-month internship with 90min in 2019 and hasn't looked back. Cormack's current SEO focus means he tends to venture to the land of match previews and predicted lineups, but he also has a wealth of experience in news and feature writing. A passion for soccer's history and the European game often takes his work beyond the familiarity of the Premier League, but it's with Tottenham Hotspur where his strongest allegiance lies.