On Thursday evening, it’s back down to business in the UEFA Europa League for a Man United team that is rather desperate to salvage something from what has been a disappointing campaign.
The Red Devils travel to Bilbao, where they’ll take on an Athletic Club team that looks primed to go all the way, especially with the final set for their home venue of San Mames Stadium. Can Ruben Amorim’s men keep themselves in the hunt ahead of next week’s second leg at Old Trafford? Or will the hosts build a healthy advantage? Read on for our Athletic Club vs Man United player betting tips.
Athletic Club vs Man United player betting tips
This game takes place on 01/05/2025 at San Mames Stadium. Kick off will be at 20:00 GMT.
Two player bets favouring the hosts appeal ahead of Thursday’s first leg in the city of Bilbao.
Nico Williams to Score or Assist
Several players have impressed for Athletic Club this season, both in the Europa League and in LaLiga, so much so that United will face a team containing several dangerous players, though the one they may need to keep an eye on the most is Nico Williams, whose direct approach has caused teams lots of problems.
As we approach the semi-final stage of the competition, no Athletic Club player has produced more direct goal involvements than the younger Williams brother, with the Spain international scoring five and assisting two, producing a UEL average of 0.72 goals and assists per 90 minutes.
Home is definitely where the heart is for Williams too, with each of his seven goal contributions coming at San Mames, where the winger/forward has made six Europa League appearances this season. In other words, that’s an average of 1.16 goals and assists per home appearance. On this basis, I’m all over odds of 17/10, which look far too big.
Oscar de Marcos 1+ Assist
At a much bigger price, I’m also rather interested in home-team full-back Oscar de Marcos to produce an assist. Far from too defensively minded, the super experienced Spaniard has often been saved for big European nights this season, and it’s fair to say that such a plan has worked well, with de Marcos delivering some hugely encouraging Europa League efforts.
The 36-year-old has played in ten of Athletic Club’s 12 Europa League games this term, starting all four of the knockout matches, so it’s fair to say that Ernesto Valverde values the nous of the veteran, who recently repaid the faith shown in him by assisting the winning quarter-final goal, lofting in a beautifully weighted ball for Inaki Williams to finish at the back post.
Teasing crosses are de Marcos’ bread and butter, while it’s fair to say that he’s used to getting into promising crossing positions. Interestingly, no player has delivered more crosses into the penalty area than de Marcos in the Europa League this season. Not a stat to ignore if you ask me.
De Marcos also averages 0.25 assists per 90 minutes in the UEL this term, while he’s also Athletic Club’s best player in terms of overall passes into the box, ranking as the third best for progressive passes.
Against a United side that doesn’t exactly defend wide deliveries with any sort of conviction, I really wouldn’t be surprised if Oscar de Marcos registers another key assist for the hosts, and at odds of 13/2, I’ll be betting on him to do just that.
Recap - Athletic Club vs Man United player betting tips
The table below shows the odds available for our player betting tips (at the time of writing), as well as what I consider to be fair odds for these bets. To be clear, to take value, you should be taking odds that are bigger than the fair odds. If bigger odds are not available, then there’s no value, which means no bet.
Here’s a quick reminder of our Athletic Club vs Man United player betting tips:
Nico Williams to Score or Assist @ 17/10 with betway
Oscar de Marcos 1+ Assist @ 13/2 with betway
More UEFA Europa League betting tips:
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