Two Manchester United players must be very wary on Thursday evening as Rúben Amorim prepares his squad to face Athletic Club in the Europa League semi-finals.
Manchester United are stepping up preparations for their Europa League semi-final first leg against Athletic Club on Thursday afternoon — a match that marks the biggest test yet of Rúben Amorim’s tenure.
United’s path to the semi-finals saw them pull off a remarkable comeback against Olympique Lyonnais, with Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, and Harry Maguire scoring three goals in seven frantic minutes to seal a 7-6 aggregate triumph at Old Trafford.
Since then, though, United’s Premier League form has faltered. They suffered a 1-0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers and needed a stoppage-time goal from Rasmus Højlund to snatch a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth.
With domestic concerns set aside, all focus now turns to Europe, with United having a few days to fine-tune preparations before flying out to Spain on Wednesday afternoon.
UEFA confirm Europa League officials
Norwegian official Espen Andreas Eskås (pictured below) will be the referee on Thursday evening in Bilbao. Eskås has officiated eight Champions League fixtures this season, five in other UEFA competitions, and five others outside of Europe’s top five leagues.
Bankes has met United once in his career, officiating a 1-0 Champions League loss against Bayern Munich in December 2023, when Kingsley Coman’s second-half strike proved the difference between the two sides.
During the game, Jan Erik Engan and Isaak Elias Skjeseth Bashevkin will serve as Eskås’ assistant referees. Danish Morten Krogh Hansen will be the fourth official on Sunday afternoon, separating Amorim and Ernesto Valverde.
Italian Aleandro Di Paolo has been appointed as the Video Assistant Referee. His compatriot, Daniele Chiffi, will act as assistant VAR.
United duo must heed suspension warning
With United just two fixtures away from potentially appearing in the Europa League final for the third time in eight years, all yellow cards have been wiped. Still, two United players must be wary of picking up further yellows ahead of the final.
Both Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte were one card away from being suspended for the semi-final during the Lyon sent leg, and should be wary of just how trigger-happy Eskås can be with his cards in UEFA competitions.
Across his eight Champions League fixtures, the 36-year-old handed out 30 yellow cards, one straight red card, and two penalties.
However, his single Europa League tie saw him dish out an astonishing 11 yellows during a second-leg Round of 16 fixture between Rangers and Fenerbahçe, which the Scottish side won 3-4 on penalties following a 3-3 aggregate score.
With Eskås clearly not afraid to use his yellow cards and the fixture between Athletic Club and United set to be a tense and emotional affair for both teams, both Casemiro and Ugarte must make sure they do not find themselves sitting with yellow cards to their names a possible suspension warning ahead of the second leg at Old Trafford.
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