Europa League semifinals, where to watch, live stream, odds: Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur target final
After successful first leg outings, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur will each hope to clinch a spot in the final of the UEFA Europa League when they return to play on Thursday against Athletic Bilbao and Bodo/Glimt, respectively.
The English sides boast a two-plus goal lead after dominant first legs, with United traveling to Bilbao and coming out with a 3-0 win and Spurs collecting a 3-1 win at home against Bodo/Glimt. It means both are the heavy favorites to advance to the final, but the situation could also force big performances out of Athletic Bilbao and Bodo/Glimt, who may need to be at their best to keep their Europa League hopes alive.
For the teams that eventually advance, a meeting at Bilbao's San Mames Stadium on May 21 awaits, as does a spot in next season's edition of the UEFA Champions League for the champion.
Here's what you need to know before tuning into the second leg of the Europa League semifinals.
First leg scores- Athletic Bilbao 0, Manchester United 3
- Tottenham Hotspur 3, Bodo/Glimt 1
- Date: Thursday, May 8 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Old Trafford -- Stretford, England
- Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Manchester United -115; Draw +260; Athletic Bilbao +280
A three-goal advantage going into the second leg is usually a signal that the team with the advantage has already won most of the battle, but Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim is not resting on his laurels – and it might not just be out of respect for the opposition.
Amorim may only be about six months into the job but he has already had a front row seat to the chaos that United can create, so much so that he is not exactly sure which version of the Red Devils will turn up on Thursday.
"It is hard to say," he said in his pre-match press conference on Wednesday. "Sometimes during the game, we are one team, something happens and we lose our mind a little bit. If you look at our team we cannot say today what is going to happen. Control the narrative – we cannot do that. I feel we need to score to go to the next round. We will have to suffer a bit to go to the final."
Amorim also does not feel that United have the upper hand considering Athletic will be without three key players – this season's top scorer Oihan Sancet and the Williams brothers, Nico and Inaki.
"It doesn't matter," he said. "For us it is the top team of Athletic. I understand it is hard to play without key players but for us it doesn't matter. We need to go to the game and try to win it."
How to watch Bodo/Glimt vs. Tottenham Hotspur, odds- Date: Thursday, May 7 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Aspmyra Stadion -- Bodo, Norway
- TV: CBS Sports Network | Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: PSG +109; Draw +263; Arsenal +234
Spurs' margin of victory might be slightly slimmer than United's, the type that might create a tighter match if one flick of the ball goes Glimt's way at the right time, but a two-goal advantage in the second leg means the visitors are within touching distance of the final. It brings back the question that has chased Tottenham for years now: Will they, at long last, snap the trophy drought that is now in its 18th year, and will it finally change the narrative around the team?
"I don't know if it will change it, but certainly some of it becomes redundant for sure, because a big part of the narrative around the club is that we haven't won for a very long time," manager Ange Postecoglou said in his pre-match press conference on Wednesday. "Some of it will still exist beyond that. From my perspective, [it is about] how do you create a winning culture? It all starts with winning. The more experiences you have of winning, if you can land a trophy along the way, it certainly gives belief within the whole club that it is capable of doing. We've still got a big game tomorrow to even get through to get to a final before we can start talking about that."
The journey ahead, be it establishing a winning culture, lifting the Europa League or just successfully advancing after Thursday's second leg, Spurs will not be at full strength. Son Heung-min did not travel with a foot issue, while James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall have been ruled out for the rest of the season. It leaves Postecoglou with some challenges in his team selection but as goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario pointed out, they have been here before.
"We always have to deal with it to be fair," he said. "We will not have Sonny and Madders tomorrow, but it is on us. The entire squad will be crucial."
As for the other potential reward on the line – a spot in the Champions League – Postecoglou also has a response for anyone – or Arsene Wenger, specifically – who thinks that berth should not go to the Europa League winner.
"Well that's a debate that's been raging for years, mate," he said. "At least the last eight days! I've never heard that before. I have said it before, mate: Spurs does crazy things to people. It does, it does. … You put that club (Tottenham) into any sentence or issue, and invariably they all come out and try and diminish us as much as they can. Why wasn't it an issue before but it's an issue now? What's the difference? I don't understand what the difference is. Last year, fifth (in the Premier League) didn't get you into the Champions League, and now it does. What does that mean?"
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