Ruben Amorim still has the chance to claim silverware in his first season as Red Devils boss. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Manchester United are preparing for their two most pivotal fixtures of the campaign thus far: the Europa League semi-final.
The tie gets underway on Thursday evening when the Reds take to Bilbao, where the final will be held next month, to lock horns with Athletic Club for the first leg. Then, the reverse fixture will take place exactly one week later at Old Trafford on May 8.
It’s anticipated that Ruben Amorim will make wholesale changes to his starting XI for the Premier League fixture sandwiched between the two legs – an away clash with Brentford on Sunday afternoon. To say there’s nothing left to play for in the league this season is an understatement, so resting key starters over the weekend could prove crucial to United’s hopes of progressing.
Presumably, this will include Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire and Leny Yoro, although it remains to be seen how the Reds could shape up for the second leg, as Amad and Matthijs de Ligt have been tipped to make their respective injury returns at the Gtech Community Stadium.
The pair will likely feature off the bench to test their resolve against the Bees before hopefully being deemed fit enough to be given the nod four days later.
Journo: Athletic Bilbao will try and capitalise on ‘erratic’ Andre Onana
Meanwhile, Amorim also has a pretty significant decision to make in terms of his goalkeeping selection.
After Andre Onana oversaw a dismal display in the first leg of the quarter-finals vs Olympique Lyonnais, he was dropped for the subsequent league clash at St. James’ Park. Altay Bayindir was deployed between the sticks to face Newcastle United but conceded four in his Premier League debut.
As such, Onana was restored to the XI for the second meeting with Lyon, yet, ironically, also conceded four in that match alone, eventually seeing his blushes spared by Fernandes’, Kobbie Mainoo’s and Maguire’s late heroics.
Manchester Evening News journalist Steven Railston took to X/Twitter this afternoon to recall how Sevilla targeted an out-of-form David de Gea two years ago in the UEL quarters; they hit United for three on their home turf with no response, sealing a 5-2 aggregate win come the full-time whistle.
Railston has predicted the same to happen again, this time with the ‘erratic’ Onana whom they’ll ‘look to exploit’.
