Manchester United face Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of Round of 16 at Old Trafford.
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| Man. Utd. vs Athletic Bilbao |
Date, Venue: Thursday 8 March 2012, 20:05 GMT (NEPAL Standard Time: Friday, March 09, 2012 1:50:00 AM) at Old Trafford
Having defeated Tottenham without dominate the game, Manchester United have another tough game in their hands. Athletic Bilbao can't be discounted as an easy opponent as they have a very decent squad.
But United will be pretty confident as they have been able to salvage a possible of 10 points out of 12 against the opponents of likes of: Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham.
Though, United aren't playing Europa League out of choice, rather compulsion, there is an incentive of adding Europa League to the Trophy Cabinet of Manchester United which doesn't include this trophy. Therefore, Manchester United might look up to Europa League more seriously than they would otherwise.
Team News
There are some good news on the injury front for Manchester United as well. Chris Smalling will most probably be back for this game. Antonio Valencia and Tom Cleverly are getting better with their fitness but this game might come a little bit too soon for the. Whereas, Athletic Bilbao are expected to travel with a full squad, with long-term absentees Carlos Gurpegui, Aitor Ocio, and Xabier Castillo all missing due to long-term injuries.
Prediction
On paper, Manchester United are undoubtedly the better team, but matches are won on field and not paper. Thus, United will have to play with full concentration in order to register a victory against Bilbao. The defense needs to function well as the downfall of English clubs in Europe this year has been caused due to lackluster defending. Man. Utd. certainly have the home advantage in the first leg which they will try to use in their advantage as much as possible.
That said, I still fancy Manchester United to win by 2-0 if they keep their concentration levels high.
And don't forget to post your predictions below. You don't even need to have a google account. But please do leave your Name with your comments as well.
And don't forget to post your predictions below. You don't even need to have a google account. But please do leave your Name with your comments as well.
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