Today s highlights: Manchester United VS Bilbao; the century-old collision between the Iron Blood Red Devils and the Basque Lions, the path to redemption for traditional giants!

Europa League: Manchester United vs. Athletic Bilbao Time: 2025-05-09 3:00 The second leg of the UEFA Cup semi-finals is about to usher in a focus match - Premier League giant Manchester United sits at the Old Trafford Stadium and faces La Liga powerhouse Athletic Bilbao. Manchester United's 3-0 away victory in the first leg has seriously tilted the promotion balance, and the hidden dangers of the core injury of Biba's forward line have made the suspense of this matchup sharply reduce. Can the Red Devils continue their strong performance at home in the Europa League to secure a place in the finals ahead of schedule?

Manchester United: The Europa League has full firepower and has become a "safety lock" at home. Although Manchester United performed poorly in the Premier League this season and is currently only ranked 15th, they have shown a completely different dominance in the UEFA stadium. He scored 31 goals in 13 Europa League games, with an offensive efficiency of 2.38 goals per game, and scored 15 goals in five games in the knockout stage, and his firepower of 3 goals per game can be called a "dimensionality reduction strike." Especially when playing at home, Manchester United has remained unbeaten in 6 home games with 4 wins and 2 draws this season, and averaged 2.5 goals per game on both offense and defense, conceding only 0.67 goals, showing its home dragon attributes. The 3-0 away victory in the first leg not only gave Manchester United the advantage of three goals, but also exposed Biba's weakness in offensive end. The Red Devils only need to defend and counterattack or win a small victory in this game to advance, and there is a lot of room for tactical choice. Although the league's defensive end has conceded 14 goals in six consecutive games recently, facing Biba, the pressure on Manchester United's defense line has dropped sharply, and it may be able to achieve the promotion goal at the minimum cost.

Bilbao: The front line is losing + away weak, and the turnaround is almost an "impossible task". Although Athletic Bilbao is firmly ranked fourth in the La Liga, the crushing defeat in the first leg of the Europa League semi-finals exposed the team's fatal weakness of the team's offensive and defensive imbalance. He has only scored 7 goals in the last 10 main games, 6 of which have been sealed completely. His offensive efficiency of 0.7 goals per game is ineffective in the strong dialogue. To make matters worse, the main striker Iniyaki Williams is very likely to miss the second leg due to injury - he contributed 5 goals in 12 games this season and is the team's top scorer in the European competition. His absence will directly lead to the "break of the gear" of Biba's forward line. The weak away record made Biba even worse: he only had 1 win, 5 draws and 4 losses in his last 10 away games, with a winning rate of only 10%. He had almost no chance of winning against Manchester United at home. Even though the defense line maintained a stable performance of conceding only 5 goals in the last 10 games, facing Manchester United's offensive group with multiple points, the difficulty of zero-point shooting is comparable to climbing the sky.

Key variables: The game between Manchester United's "stay" and Biba "fights his life". From a tactical perspective, Manchester United may choose an "economic" promotion strategy in the second round: while ensuring a stable defense line, use counterattacks or set pieces to expand the score, while retaining physical strength for the league. Biba must take a gamble on the offense, but the double shackles of the lack of soldiers on the front line and the away disadvantage may put them in an embarrassing situation of "not breaking or defending". At the data level, mainstream institutions generally open a handicap of Manchester United's 1-1.25 goals. Combined with the advantage of 3 goals in the first round, the threshold for the Red Devils to advance if they win is extremely low. If Biba forced his attack, Manchester United's rapid counterattack may become a deadly weapon, and speed players such as Rashford and Garnacho are expected to further expand the score.

Conclusion: The Red Devils may "live into" the finals, and Biba's Europa League's dream is shattered. Overall, Manchester United has no doubts of advancing to the finals with the support of multiple factors such as strength, home advantage, first-round score and opponent injuries. If Biba wants to turn the tables, he needs to score at least 3 goals away and score Manchester United in a free throw, which is almost zero. For the Red Devils, the second round is more like a "moment" promotion ceremony, while Biba needs to re-plan the qualification for the European competition next season - after all, the competition for the top four in the league and the miracle of the UEFA Cup will never be able to achieve both in the face of reality.

001 Europa League Manchester United VS Bilbao

Betting: Let the loss

Number of goals: 2/3/4 Goals

Score: 1-1, 1-2, 1-3

003 Europa League Fiorentina VS Real Betis

Betting: Double draw

Number of goals: 2/3/4 Goals

Score: 1-1, 2-1, 2-2