[UEL] Man Utd 2-3 Athl. Bilbao

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Akooorrr Brotha
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ManUtd.com*

United v Athletic Club preview



United face a stern test in the Europa League round of 16...


Form guide
United didn't hit top gear at Tottenham but still won 3-1 to stretch the Reds' unbeaten league run to seven games. More pertinent to this fixture, however, is United's record in Europe. Sir Alex's men have won just one of four home matches this season and lost the most recent, against Ajax in the Europa League's previous round. Fans can take comfort, however, from knowing Athletic Club have lost on their last two trips into Europe and have never won on English soil (one draw, six defeats), although they do come to Old Trafford on the back of a morale-boosting 2-0 league victory against Real Sociedad in the Basque derby.

Ins and outs
Chris Smalling should return to the Reds' line-up after a recent head injury, while Anderson's presence on the bench at Tottenham proves he's also fit again. The game's likely to come too soon for Tom Cleverley and Antonio Valencia, although the winger could feature in the return leg a week later. Athletic are expected to travel with a full squad, albeit shorn of long-term injured absentees Aitor Ocio, Carlos Gurpegui and Xabier Castillo.

Last meeting
It's been 55 years since the two clubs last met, but it's a tie worth recalling if you're a United fan. Matt Busby's men travelled to snowy Spain in January 1957 and were outplayed to the tune of 5-3. But back in Manchester (at Maine Road as Old Trafford was without floodlights) United turned the tie around, sensationally sealing a 3-0 won on the night (6-5 on aggregate) with just minutes to play.

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 made his*La Liga*debut in 2009 and yet he's still only a teenager. The youngest player to ever pull on an Athletic shirt (16 years, seven months), Muniain is one of Spain's brightest prospects and collected his first senior cap last month in a friendly against Venezuela. Traditionally a left winger, he's featured more as an attacking midfielder in Bielsa's narrow 4-2-3-1 formation. It's a move that's paid dividends: Muniain has netted three times in this season's Europa League, including the winner against Lokomotiv Moscow that sealed Athletic's date with United.

Quote/unquote
"Playing against Manchester United is not like any other game," Marcelo Bielsa.

Sub-plots
David De Gea faces Spanish opposition for the first time since his move from Atletico Madrid and says: "Athletic are a good team. I've got lots of friends there and it'll be great to go back to Spain - and to win."

Whistle blower
German referee Florian Meyer will referee the match.*Regarded as*one of the top Bundesliga officials, he's*already taken charge of numerous Europa League fixtures this season, including Stoke City v Dinamo Kyiv at the Britannia Stadium in December.

Rivals watch
Manchester City, the only other English side still in the competition, travel to Portugal to take on Sporting Lisbon in one of Thursday night's early kick-offs (18:00), while former Reds assistant manager Steve McLaren leads FC Twente against Schalke.