Manchester United and Premier League rivals Manchester City meet Spanish and Portuguese opposition in the Europa League Thursday as they continue their quest to put the misery of Champions League elimination behind them.
United are at home to Spain’s Athletic Bilbao, a team they have not played for 55 years – Athletic won 5-3 in January 1957 – and won’t be taking lightly a team that has had an excellent domestic under coach Marcelo Bielsa and is lying fifth in La Liga.
Premier League leaders City meanwhile travel to Portugal’s Sporting Lisbon in the first leg of the competition’s last 16.
United defender Chris Smalling is expected back after a recent head injury for the encounter against a side expected to present a tough challenge for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.
“I wouldn’t expect any team in the Europa League to come to Old Trafford just to be beaten,” United striker Danny Welbeck told United’s website.
“There would be no point in them showing up if that was their approach. So we expect Athletic Club to come out and give us a big test. We’re looking forward to that.”
Welbeck said United would be looking for good win to take with them to Spain for the return leg next week.
“We not only want to win the game, we also want to get as many goals as possible to put ourselves in the best position for the second leg,” Welbeck said.
“Getting knocked out of the Champions League was a big blow for everyone involved with Manchester United but now we’re in the Europa League, we want to win it.”
Athletic are without suspended defender Fernando Amorebieta but are expected to travel with a full squad otherwise – and have the backing of more than 7,000 Basque fans at Old Trafford.
“It will be great to hear our fans there,” right-back Andoni Iraola said.
“We will do our best to make it a happy journey for them because that is exactly what their effort deserves.”
In Portugal, Sporting Lisbon will be underdogs against City despite a nine-game unbeaten home run in Europe.
Sporting midfielder Marat Izmailov told UEFA.com he rated City the world’s third-best team behind Barcelona and Real Madrid.
“They are 100-per-cent favourites in our tie but we are determined not just to make up the numbers but to qualify,” he said. “If we beat a team like City we will have good chance of winning the competition.”
Atletico Madrid and Valencia, Spain’s two other Europa League hopes, have home ties. Atletico, who won the inaugural Europa League in 2010, face Turkish side Besiktas, who will be without injured striker Hugo Almeida.
Playing for Besiktas will be little veteran winger Simao, one of the players who helped Atletico to win the Europa League in 2010.
Valencia will receive Dutch side PSV Eindhoven without injured midfielders Hewiges Maduro and Ever Banega.
Germany’s hopes are carried by Schalke, who visit Dutch side Twente, and Hanover, who are at Belgium’s Standard Liege, while Serie A side Udinese travel to Dutch outfit AZ Alkmaar and Ukraine’s Metalist Kharkiv host Greece’s Olympiakos.
