Athletic Club welcomes Manchester United in San Mames on Thursday evening, in one of the occasions of the season in the Basque Country. Los Leones, the first stage of their semi-final of the Europa League, dreams of returning for the final within a few weeks.
The Williams brothers have admitted that that is indeed the dream in Bilbao, and that has been for a while. After winning the Copa del Rey last season, Nico Williams explained that he believed that the pressure had become a positive source of motivation for the athletic players in recent months.
In the meantime, Ernesto Valverde has played the prospect of a home final and has noticed that they should come first. He stated MD before the game that they played against one of the giants of European football, but admitted that it was an important game in the history of the club. “The price is so big … There is an extra motivation for everyone,” El Txingurri noted.
The atmosphere was built all week in Bilbao, and for the game fans have one of the most important squares for the Carlton Hotel, where the athletic team met for the game. It was a raw as a friendly atmosphere for the competition, with a whole city behind their team.
For Athletic, the most important care will be the fact that TOP goal scorer Oihan Sancet did not return from injuries in the time and has come from the first stage. Alex Berenguer is familiar behind Maroan Sannadi, with the Williams Brothers on the flanks for the first stage. In the meantime, Ruben Amorim has gone with a defensive combination of Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte in midfield, hoping to put a platform for Alejandro Garnaacho, Rasmus Hojlund and Bruno Fernandes to attack.