Man Utd news: Overview of Athletic Bilbao

Manchester United are set to go up against Athletic Bilbao in the semi-finals of the Europa League. The club from the Basque Country will be extremely motivated as it is their stadium – San Mames – that will host the final this year.

They currently fourth in La Liga, six points behind third-placed Atletico Madrid. Remarkably, they have lost one league game since October and have the best defence in Spain’s top flight. conceding only 25 goals.

They are two-time finalists in the competition, with their last appearance in the final coming in 2012 when they lost an all-Spanish showdown 3-0 to Atletico Madrid in Bucharest.

Bilbao overturned a 2-1 first-leg deficit against Roma in the last 16 – beating the Italian giants 3-1 at home thanks to a double by Spain winger Nico Williams.

United do not have a good record against Bilbao.

Their only victory in the four meetings between the sides came in the second leg of a European Cup quarter-final in 1957.

Bilbao prevailed 5-3 on aggregate in the 2011-12 Europa League, winning 3-2 at Old Trafford and 2-1 at home. Wayne Rooney scored all three goals for United across the two games.

This will be the first time the two sides have met in 13 years.