Manchester United coach Rúben Amorim has issued a warning to his players, emphasizing that “anything is possible” despite being the clear favorites to eliminate Athletic Club in the Europa League semi-final and secure their place in the final.
United prepares for the return leg at Old Trafford, following an impressive 3-0 victory over the Spanish team in Bilbao last week.
In the history of the UEFA Cup and the Europa League, 133 teams have won a first-leg match of a knockout tie away from home by three or more goals, and all of them have advanced to the next round.
This suggests that United is heading for a final against Tottenham or Bodo/Glimt in Bilbao on May 21. However, after a season full of ups and downs and some disappointing results at home, Amorim takes nothing for granted.
If we analyze our season, anything is possible. We have to understand that a goal can change everything. The momentum of the game, a sending-off… we saw it a week ago. We are fighting to win the match. We are thinking about winning the match.
Rubén Amorim
Amorim states that “it doesn’t matter” that Athletic Club has left behind two of its best players.
Athletic Club have won only one of their last 10 away matches in all competitions, while United are unbeaten in their last 17 Europa League knockout ties at home.
For Amorim, the second leg of the quarter-final against Lyon is still fresh in his mind. United led 2-0 before drawing 2-2. Lyon had a man sent off, but still managed to lead 4-2 in extra time before a remarkable late comeback.
Sometimes, during the match we are a team, something happens and we lose our heads a little. If you analyze our team, we can’t say today what will happen. Some teams control the narrative. We can’t do that. I feel that we need to score to advance to the next round. We will have to suffer a little to reach the final.
Rubén Amorim
Amorim has received a boost with the return of defender Noussair Mazraoui. He was left out of the squad for the 4-3 defeat to Brentford on Sunday, but was fit enough to train normally on Wednesday.
Matthijs de Ligt is unavailable after suffering a knee injury at the Gtech Community Stadium.
It’s not a big problem and that’s the good thing. He can’t play tomorrow or Sunday, but then we’ll review it day by day.
Rubén Amorim
