Some of you may have been surprised that Athletic won at Old Trafford, but everyone who saw the game will tell you that los Leones fully deserved the memorable victory. They are now expected to finish the job at their San Mames, although the new Premier League leaders are not yet prepared to surrender.

A real lesson in football

I have to admit that Old Trafford clash was one of the most interesting football matches I have seen over the last few years and Athletic Bilbao have got to be given credit for the amazing performance in Manchester. Los Leones proved why they are often referred to as the Basque Barca as they dominated the game from the off and never kept pressing their opponents, even when they were two goals up. While everyone can see that this side have got a tremendous amount of individual talent, it is the team effort that helps them in games like these, and that is hardly surprising when we know that magnificent Marcelo Bielsa is at the helm. After completely outclassing their opponents at Old Trafford, Athletic should be able to finish the job in front of the packed San Mames, and I am positive that Bielsa will not allow his players to relax before the qualification is secured. Athletic did lose their La Liga game to Osasuna at the weekend, but Bielsa intentionally sacrificed the game in order to have his key players fresh for the Manchester United game.

Ander Herrera and Javi Martinez are set to return after they were rested at Osasuna, but Fernando Llorente is doubtful with a hip injury. Oscar de Marcos and Borja Ekiza are struggling with a bout of flu.

Back to Premier League summit

Manchester United may be the dominant force on domestic stage, but their European showings have been well below the expectations. First the Red Devils were beaten to a place in the Champions League knockout stages by Basel, they were then almost eliminated from Europa League following the home defeat to Ajax, and they are now on the verge of elimination after the dismal performances against Athletic. Manchester United did climb to the Premiership top after the 2-0 victory over West Brom, and with the Premier League title race clearly the priority at the moment, Sir Alex Ferguson could decide to rest a couple of starters in Bilbao, especially after admitting that these Europa League games have come at a bad time. United’s slow players were unable to cope with their energetic counterparts at Old Trafford, so I don’t see how they are going to fare any better at San Mames.

Nemanja Vidic, Anderson, Chris Smalling, Nani, Antonio Valencia, Darren Fletcher and Anders Lindegaard are all sidelined, but Tom Cleverley has finally returned into action.

Verdict

Unlike their opponents, Athletic Bilbao are fully focused on this clash and despite some selection problems I expect them to produce another strong performance. Manchester United are in a very difficult situation after the setback at Old Trafford, and I seriously doubt they can win at San Mames.

Our prediction: Double chance on Athletic

Odds: 1.53 (8/15)

Bookmaker: bet365