United Indonesia - Manchester United Indonesia Supporters Club - View Single Post - [UEL] Athl. Bilbao 2-1 Man Utd

rondwisan · 14-03-2012, 06:20 AM

13/03/2012 17:03 - ManUtd.com, Adam Marshall

Athletic Club v United preview

United have an uphill task after first-leg defeat...

Form guide
United didn't heed Sir Alex's European wake-up call as the form in both the Champions League and Europa League has been below par. The Reds have*performed a little better on the road in the competitions after struggling at home and a repeat of the 2-0 win at Ajax would be enough to overturn the first-leg deficit. In the Barclays Premier League, a fine run has seen the champions overtake Manchester City at the top of the table. Athletic Club suffered a 2-1 defeat to Osasuna on Sunday night but have won their last four games at home and are in splendid form. Marcelo Bielsa's men have only lost twice all season at their San Mames home.

Ins and outs
We expect to know exactly who is flying to Spain from 10am on Wednesday morning. Chris Smalling missed out with a head injury against West Brom but Tom Cleverley returned as a substitute and should definitely be available. Sir Alex said recently he expects Antonio Valencia to make his comeback in this fixture. For the hosts, Fernando Amorebeita is back from suspension, which could release Javi Martinez into midfield. Keeper Gorka Iraizoz is set to retain his place between the posts.

Last meeting
The home leg didn't go as planned with the visitors putting on a tremendous performance to take a 3-2 lead to Bilbao. Wayne Rooney's opener was overturned by goals from Fernando Llorente and Oscar De Marcos and a late strike by the outstanding Iker Munaian looked to have effectively dumped United out of the competition. However, a Rooney penalty could still prove to be a lifeline in the context of the two-legged tie.

Opposition boss
Considered something of a tactical innovator, Argentine Marcelo Bielsa took over at Athletic last summer. His preparation is detailed almost to the point of being obsessive and his teams (which have included Argentina 1998-2004 and Chile 2007-2011) are sent onto the pitch extremely well prepared. He favours direct, attacking football, with an emphasis on winning the ball back quickly by pressing high up the pitch. It's taken time for the pieces in his jigsaw to come together - he revamped the squad in the summer, his training methods are drastically different - but Bielsa's projects almost always yield results.

Star man
Iker Muniain took many of the plaudits from the first leg and, rightly so, but as he was our star man last time out, we'll focus on striker Fernando Llorente. The Spanish hitman is a British-style centre-forward and shone at Old Trafford with an all-action display, including levelling the scores with a firm header. Nicknamed 'The Lion King', the 27-year-old from Pamplona is a huge favourite with the club's supporters and the goal at Osasuna on Sunday was his 22nd of a productive campaign.

Quote/unquote
"An indication of the type of opponents we face is that they needed very few chances to score two goals [at Old Trafford]," Marcelo Bielsa, Athletic Club coach.*

Sub-plots
United's title chase with Manchester City has caused some to argue that there are bigger fish to fry for the champions but the Reds won't go out of the Europa League without a fight. The only previous trip to Bilbao produced a high-scoring defeat for the Busby Babes, 5-3, in 1957.

Whistle blower
Cuneyt Cakir from Turkey is the referee who will have to handle the intimidating atmosphere at San Mames. The 35-year-old works in insurance and enjoys table-tennis, reading and travelling. He also took charge of the 2-2 draw with Benfica in the Champions League at Old Trafford.

Rivals watch
Manchester City look to recover a 1-0 deficit from the first leg of their Europa League tie against Sporting Lisbon as both of the leading pair in the Barclays Premier League's hopes of qualification are very much in the balance.

14-03-2012, 06:20 AM	#43
rondwisan moderator Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Soe Rock Bo Yo - Nga Lam vv Posts: 35,048 Thanks: 1,500 Thanked 4,736 Times in 2,701 Posts Mentioned: 567 Post(s)	Re: [UEL] Athl. Bilbao vs Man Utd 13/03/2012 17:03 - ManUtd.com, Adam Marshall Athletic Club v United preview United have an uphill task after first-leg defeat... Form guide United didn't heed Sir Alex's European wake-up call as the form in both the Champions League and Europa League has been below par. The Reds haveperformed a little better on the road in the competitions after struggling at home and a repeat of the 2-0 win at Ajax would be enough to overturn the first-leg deficit. In the Barclays Premier League, a fine run has seen the champions overtake Manchester City at the top of the table. Athletic Club suffered a 2-1 defeat to Osasuna on Sunday night but have won their last four games at home and are in splendid form. Marcelo Bielsa's men have only lost twice all season at their San Mames home. Ins and outs We expect to know exactly who is flying to Spain from 10am on Wednesday morning. Chris Smalling missed out with a head injury against West Brom but Tom Cleverley returned as a substitute and should definitely be available. Sir Alex said recently he expects Antonio Valencia to make his comeback in this fixture. For the hosts, Fernando Amorebeita is back from suspension, which could release Javi Martinez into midfield. Keeper Gorka Iraizoz is set to retain his place between the posts. Last meeting The home leg didn't go as planned with the visitors putting on a tremendous performance to take a 3-2 lead to Bilbao. Wayne Rooney's opener was overturned by goals from Fernando Llorente and Oscar De Marcos and a late strike by the outstanding Iker Munaian looked to have effectively dumped United out of the competition. However, a Rooney penalty could still prove to be a lifeline in the context of the two-legged tie. Opposition boss Considered something of a tactical innovator, Argentine Marcelo Bielsa took over at Athletic last summer. His preparation is detailed almost to the point of being obsessive and his teams (which have included Argentina 1998-2004 and Chile 2007-2011) are sent onto the pitch extremely well prepared. He favours direct, attacking football, with an emphasis on winning the ball back quickly by pressing high up the pitch. It's taken time for the pieces in his jigsaw to come together - he revamped the squad in the summer, his training methods are drastically different - but Bielsa's projects almost always yield results. Star man Iker Muniain took many of the plaudits from the first leg and, rightly so, but as he was our star man last time out, we'll focus on striker Fernando Llorente. The Spanish hitman is a British-style centre-forward and shone at Old Trafford with an all-action display, including levelling the scores with a firm header. Nicknamed 'The Lion King', the 27-year-old from Pamplona is a huge favourite with the club's supporters and the goal at Osasuna on Sunday was his 22nd of a productive campaign. Quote/unquote "An indication of the type of opponents we face is that they needed very few chances to score two goals [at Old Trafford]," Marcelo Bielsa, Athletic Club coach. Sub-plots United's title chase with Manchester City has caused some to argue that there are bigger fish to fry for the champions but the Reds won't go out of the Europa League without a fight. The only previous trip to Bilbao produced a high-scoring defeat for the Busby Babes, 5-3, in 1957. Whistle blower Cuneyt Cakir from Turkey is the referee who will have to handle the intimidating atmosphere at San Mames. The 35-year-old works in insurance and enjoys table-tennis, reading and travelling. He also took charge of the 2-2 draw with Benfica in the Champions League at Old Trafford. Rivals watch Manchester City look to recover a 1-0 deficit from the first leg of their Europa League tie against Sporting Lisbon as both of the leading pair in the Barclays Premier League's hopes of qualification are very much in the balance.