UEFA Champions League: Semi-Final First Leg Preview

We are getting closer and closer to finding out who is going to be lifting this prestigious trophy in the Final later this month, with the first leg matches of the 2024/25 UEFA Europa League ties getting underway on Thursday.

The UEFA Europa League is one of the most prestigious cup competitions in club football, and we are now reaching the conclusion of this season’s tournament with just four clubs remaining at the Semi Final stage.

The first leg of these ties are set to be played on Thursday evening where clubs will be looking to take a step closer to that final, which will be taking place at the iconic San Mamés in Bilbao, Spain on 21st May 2025.

The clubs who currently remain in this season’s Europa League are Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Athletic Club Bilbao, and Bodø/Glimt. It is the Premier League who has the most clubs that still remain in the tournament with two of course, whilst Spain’s LaLiga has one, as does the Eliteserien of Norway with Bodø/Glimt.

Of the four teams who currently remain, two have won this competition before – Manchester United and Spurs.

Spurs have won it the most of the teams that remain with 2, having won it in 1972 and 1984 by beating both Wolverhampton Wanderers and Anderlecht respectively. Against Wolves, they beat their West Midlands counterparts 3 – 2 on aggregate, whilst they were able to beat their Belgian counterparts Anderlecht 4 – 3 on penalties after the game had finished level at 2 – 2 after extra time.

As for Manchester United, they were victorious against Ajax in May 2017, beating the Dutch club 2 – 0 thanks to goals from Paul Pogba (18’) and Henrikh Mkhitaryan (48’) at the Friends Arena located in Solna, Sweden.

Here we are now going to be taking a look ahead at the two matches to come in what are the first leg games of these two 2024/25 UEFA Europa League ties that are to be played on Thursday evening.

Spurs (England) vs. Bodø/Glimt (Norway) – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – Thursday 1^st May 2025, 20:00 KO

The game between Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs and Kjetil Knutsen’s Bodø/Glimt is the first game that we are going to take a look ahead at. The first leg of this Semi Final tie is going to be played between these two clubs in the heart of North London at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The game will be getting started on the evening of Thursday 1st May 2025, with the kick-off taking place at 8pm.

In the previous round of this season’s competition, Tottenham took on German Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt over a two legged Quarter Final tie. The first leg took place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in what was a 1 – 1 draw. It was a contest that saw Frankfurt’s young French forward Hugo Ekitiké score the opening goal of the game within the opening ten minutes (6’) before the hosts Spurs got the equalising goal through their right back Pedro Porro with almost half an hour having gone in the first half (26’).

In the second leg, Ange Postecoglou and his Tottenham team were able to negotiate their way past Eintracht Frankfurt and into the Semi Finals to face Bodø/Glimt. In Germany, the Lilywhites were able to secure a 2 – 1 win on aggregate thanks to a winning goal for a 1 – 0 away victory via Dominic Solanke from the penalty spot at the end of the first half (43’).

As for Bodø/Glimt, they came up against Serie A Giants Lazio in the Quarter Finals of the 2024/25 UEFA Europa League. The first leg in Norway was a thriller, and it saw the hosts come away from the contest with a shock 2 – 0 win thanks to the goals that were scored thanks to Norwegian central midfielder Ulrik Saltnes, who got his brace in the second half (47’, 69’).

Then in the second leg in Italy at the iconic and historic Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Lazio were able to beat Bodø/Glimt 3 – 1 on the night. Goals from Taty Castellanos (21’), Tijani Noslin (90+3’), and Boulaye Dia (99’), who scored in extra time, as did the strike from Andreas Helmersen (109’) who was the only goal scorer of the night for the visitors.

This took it to penalties with the score level at 3 – 3, and it was to be Bodø/Glimt who would qualify for the next round by winning 3 – 2 on penalties in order to have the chance to face Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-finals over two legs.

This is going to be a first ever competitive meeting between Tottenham and Bodø/Glimt with both clubs looking to take an important step closer to the Final later this month.

Athletic Club (Spain) vs. Manchester United (England) – Estadio de San Mamés – Thursday 1^st May 2025, 20:00 KO

Both Athletic Club and Manchester United will believe that they have a great chance of getting to the final and lifting the trophy, and they will be competing with each other over two legs to find out which one of them will have the honour of earning one of the two places available in the showpiece occasion at the end of this season’s competition.

The game between Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic Club and Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United is going to be taking place in Bilbao, Spain at the iconic and historic Estadio de San Mamés on the evening of Thursday 1st May 2025, with the kick-off taking place at 8pm.

Starting with United, they came up against French Giants Lyon in the Quarter Finals, with the first leg taking place in France. The away leg saw the Red Devils come away with a 2 – 2 draw with Leny Yoro (45+5’) and Joshua Zirkzee scoring the goals (88’), whilst it was Thiago Almada (90+5’) and Rayan Cherki (90+5’) who scored for the hosts on that night.

In the second leg, it was an incredible and utterly chaotic game, with Manchester United winning 5 – 4 at Old Trafford at extra time. The hosts were able to score their goals through Manuel Ugarte (10’), Diogo Dalot (45+1’), Bruno Fernandes (114’ – Penalty), Kobbie Mainoo (120’), and Harry Maguire (120+1’). It was Corentin Tolisso (71’), Nicolas Tagliafico (78’), the aforementioned Rayan Cherki (105’), and ex-Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette (110’ – Penalty), who all scored for away side Lyon that night.

Moving on to Athletic Club, their opponents for the two legged UEFA Europa League Quarter Final tie were Scottish Giants Rangers. The first of the two legs took place at the iconic Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow in what was a 0 – 0 draw, with the hosts going down to ten men when Dutchman Robin Pröpper got sent off with barely more than ten minutes gone (13’). Bilbao’s Alex Berenguer had a goal disallowed with less than ten minutes of normal time left in this game (82’).

In the second leg at San Mamés, it was Ernesto Valverde and his Athletic Club Bilbao side who got the win, beating Rangers 2 – 0 on the night and subsequently on aggregate thanks to goals from the likes of central midfielder Oihan Sancet (45+4’ – Penalty) and Spanish international forward Nico Williams (80’).

All eyes are on these high profile matches in what are the first of two legs in the 2024/25 UEFA Europa League Semi Finals. There is plenty of anticipation and excitement that is building rapidly ahead of these fixtures getting underway this week. Both of these first leg matches will be taking place on the evening of Thursday 1st May 2025, with the games kicking off at 8pm in the evening.

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