The Europa League semi-finals are upon us, with the first legs of the two ties being played this Thursday.
An all-English final, which would serve as a shootout for Champions League qualification, is still on the cards, but first, Manchester United and Tottenham will have to get past Spain’s Athletic Bilbao and Norway’s Bodo/Glimt respectively.
Here’s our fact- and stat-packed preview of the two intriguing first-leg encounters…
Athletic Bilbao v Manchester United (Thursday, 8pm BST)
After their astonishing comeback to knock out Lyon in the quarter-finals, Manchester United’s mission to win the Europa League – and, in turn, qualify for next season’s Champions League – takes them to the venue for this year’s final, San Mames, to face Athletic Bilbao.
Fans hoping for a lift following those Old Trafford heroics, where emergency striker Harry Maguire headed in a 121st-minute winner to down Lyon at the end of a chaotic period of extra time, have been left disappointed as United’s two Premier League games since saw them lose at home to Wolves and only salvage a point at 10-man Bournemouth deep into stoppage time.
But the Red Devils have yet to lose in the Europa League under Ruben Amorim, who reached the 2014 final of this competition while playing for Benfica.
United’s dramatic victory over Lyon was their only triumph in seven outings in all competitions across the month of April, and they’ll be hoping to channel that same spirit for what stands as their biggest match of the campaign so far.
But there aren’t many tougher places to go in Europe: Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic have suffered just three home defeats since the start of last season, with two of those inflicted by Real and Atletico Madrid.
Athletic have also won three of their four previous encounters with United, most recently triumphing 3-2 away and 2-1 at home in the last 16 of the 2011/12 Europa League.
Tottenham v Bodo/Glimt (Thursday, 8pm BST)
Like Manchester United, a poor domestic performance means Tottenham’s only chance of qualifying for the 2025/26 Champions League comes in the form of Europa League success – and to take a step closer to ending the club’s 17-year trophy drought, Ange Postecoglou’s men must navigate a tricky-looking tie against Norway’s Bodo/Glimt.
Spurs will have hoped to come into this first-leg clash in better form, but consecutive Premier League losses at home to Nottingham Forest (2-1) and away to Liverpool (5-1) mean they’ve won just one of their last five games in all competitions.
More positively for Spurs, they’ve lost only one of their last 20 European home matches – and that was by forfeit, to Rennes in the 2021/22 group stage, amid a Covid outbreak at the club.
There’s also this good omen: Spurs have a 100% record against Norwegian clubs, thrashing Lyn 6-0 and 6-3 in the first round of the 1971/72 UEFA Cup; and beating Tromso 3-0 and 2-0 in the 2013/14 Europa League group stage.
As for Bodo/Glimt, this will be their fourth encounter with English opposition, following two defeats to Arsenal in the 2022/23 Europa League group stage and a 3-2 loss away to Manchester United in this season’s league phase.
Reigning champions of Norway, having claimed their fourth title in five years in 2024, Bodo/Glimt saw off Lazio on penalties to become their nation’s first major European semi-finalists ever.
