Athletic Club vs Manchester United Bet Builder Tips: Williams to strike in 17/2 shot

Manchester United make the trip to San Mames on Thursday (20:00, TNT Sports 1)  for the first leg of their Uefa Europa League semi-final tie. United reached this stage of the competition with late drama at home to Lyon, in which they scored two quick-fire goals to stun the French side in the dying stages.

They face a tough test in Spain as Bilbao have won all six of their home matches in Europe this season. Below you will find my Athletic Club vs Manchester United Bet Builder tips.

Football Odds

Athletic Club to win

Athletic Club have been a force to be reckoned with in the Europa League this season, with just two defeats in their 12 appearances to date. Both of them were on their travels as they have been at their best on home turf, winning all six of their contests at San Mames.

This does not bode well for Man United, who have blown hot and could all season. You never know what kind of performance from the Red Devils and for that reason I'm backing the hosts to take the advantage in the first leg of this semi-final.

Bilbao have proven to be consistent when playing at home, and I think it's going to be a tough ask for United to come away from Spain with a result. For the Lehoiak, the likes of Nico Williams, Inaki Williams and Oihan Sancet have been strong offensively, with 12 goals between them in the Europa League.

They could be in for some joy against United's fragile defence on Thursday night.

Both teams to score

The visitors can play their part on Thursday, though, as despite their consistency issues, they have shown a competitive spirit throughout their European campaign. This was highlighted with their two late goals against Lyon at Old Trafford to book themselves into the semi-finals.

Both teams to score has been a winning selection in 10 of United's 12 Europa League fixtures this term including each of their last four coming into Thursday.

For Athletic Club, BTTS has struck in four of their previous six appearances in this competition, two of which came at San Mames.

Athletic Club vs Manchester United Odds

Noussair Mazraoui and Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta 1+ fouls each

With this being the semi-finals, the pressure increases and this is bound to show in some of the players' performances. That's why I think fouls are worth covering in Bilbao.

I've picked a player from each team to be penalised at least once. Noussaid Mazraoui is my pick for United as he has been their biggest offender in the Europa League this term with 16 so far in 11 matches.

Whether he plays at right centre-back or as the right wing-back, he's likely to square up against Nico Williams in one-on-one scenarios, and the Athletic Club winger's trickery has seen him brought down illegally 15 times.

For the hosts, I've gone for combative midfielder Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta as he has committed 21 fouls in the Europa League to date. The midfield battle will pivotal in this match and he will be tasked with keeping the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho quiet.

Across his 11 appearances so far, he is averaging 1.9 fouls per game, so I think he's a shrewd selection for Thursday's clash.

Nico Williams anytime goalscorer

Spain international Williams is one of the hottest young talents in Europe and after helping La Roja win the Euros last summer, he has channeled that experience into his performances in this season's Europa League.

The 22-year-old is his team's joint-top scorer in the UEL with five goals, all of which have been scored at San Mames. He comes into this first leg having struck four in his team's last three home matches in Europe, and I think this trend can continue on Thursday.

Offers

Acca Flex: Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 100% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down

You can read all our latest Football Betting Tips at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.