A win over Barcelona and a draw with Atletico Madrid earlier this season show that the Basque outfit can go toe-to-toe with the continent’s best sides, and with Spurs and United’s other opponent potentially being AZ Alkmaar, both sides will likely want to avoid the trip to San Sebastian.
The combination of pace and creativity across the front line could expose the English clubs, while their defence – which is the second best in the league, having conceded just 21 league goals so far this season – will be hard to break down.
The squad was weakened by the loss of their best player when Manchester City completed the signing of Omar Marmoush in January, but in the Egyptian’s absence, former PSG striker Hugo Ekitike has taken on the mantle of star player, with the Frenchman having scored 17 goals so far this season.
The Basque side are just six points behind Barcelona and are arguably in the La Liga title race, with star players including the Williams brothers – long-time favourite Inaki and Spain star Nico – as well as emerging young talent Oihan Sancet.
On paper, the squad is perhaps less talented than those of Bilbao or even Frankfurt, and it is certainly a far cry from the multi-million pounds teams assembled by Spurs and United, with ex-Chelsea man Pedro and 26-year-old striker Valentin Castellanos among the Rome-based side’s key players.
