Athletic Bilbao's hopes of vying for the Europa League in the final at their own San Mames stadium later this month are in jeopardy after Manchester United emerged as 3-0 winners in last week's semi-final first leg in the Basque region.
The Spanish team were expected to secure their spot in the final on May 21, but defender Dan Vivian received a red card in the 35th minute for a foul on Rasmus Hojlund in the penalty box, leading to United capitalizing on the situation.
Bruno Fernandes successfully converted the penalty, and the Premier League team established a significant lead that could have been even more substantial.
Claiming victory in the Europa League is Manchester United's sole opportunity to secure European qualification for the next season, and they have shown their best form in this competition this season following a challenging domestic campaign.
Although Bilbao is performing well in La Liga, their aspiration was to contend in the final of this competition on home turf, prompting them to come out strongly at Old Trafford on Thursday to narrow the gap.
Team news
Matthijs de Ligt is uncertain following his injury in Sunday's Premier League defeat at Brentford and might be sidelined alongside Joshua Zirkzee and Lisandro Martinez for the hosts.
Amad Diallo is expected to be among the substitutes as he continues his recovery, while Ruben Amorim is likely to field the same starting lineup that secured a 3-0 victory in the first leg last week.
For the visitors, Dani Vivian will be absent in the second leg due to his red card in the previous encounter last Thursday, and Oihan Sancet is the only other confirmed absence for Bilbao.
The stats
The Red Devils have only managed three clean sheets in their 13 Europa League matches in this campaign.
Bruno Fernandes is the joint-top scorer in this season's Europa League with seven goals.
Bilbao has failed to score in their last four away games in all competitions.
Prediction
Athletic Bilbao has experienced a goal shortage recently, but they will be eager to stage a miraculous comeback in this Europa League semi-final, so they are expected to score in a losing effort at Old Trafford on Thursday.
United will aim to maintain their 3-0 lead from the first leg, but keeping a clean sheet has been problematic for the struggling Premier League side all season, making it unlikely for them to withstand an expected wave of Athletic attacks.
The Red Devils have secured only six clean sheets in 27 home matches this season and conceded four goals when leading 2-0 against Lyon in the second leg of their quarter-final last month.
This gives Bilbao a glimmer of hope, as they seek to replicate the performance of the French team in their attempt to rescue the tie.
However, this could provide an opportunity for the English giants to counter-attack, making a home victory with both teams scoring a promising outcome.