UEFA confirm major decision for Athletic Bilbao vs Man United Europa League semi-final Manchester United travel to the Basque Country on Thursday night aiming for a solid start to their Europa League semi-final Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim (Image: Getty Images ) UEFA has confirmed the match officials for this Thursday's Europa League semi-final between Athletic Bilbao and Manchester United at the San Mames Stadium. An all-Scandinavian team has been chosen to be in Bilbao to officiate the tie. Norwegian referee Espen Eskas will be the man in the middle and shall be accompanied by his fellow countryman Jan Engan and Isaak Bashevkin as his assistants. ‌ Danish referee Morten Hansen will be the fourth official for the tie. Meanwhile, it will be an Italian duo in the VAR booth, with Aleandro Di Paolo the main official and Daniele Chiffi as his assistant. ‌ Eskas has mainly officiated in the Champions League this season but was the man in the middle for Rangers vs Fenerbahce at Ibrox, where he dished out 11 yellow cards as the Glasgow club advanced on penalties. The last time he officiated United was last season when he was chosen to oversee the Reds' 1-0 home loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League group stages. That night, he was also accompanied by the same assistant referees as will be in Bilbao on Thursday. United head into this week's clash with Athletic Club in the unusual position of underdogs in Europe. While the Reds have struggled in the Premier League, Bilbao sit fourth in La Liga and could still qualify for next season's Champions League thanks to their league position. Ruben Amorim's side know it is win or bust for their campaign but will feel they hold a slight advantage knowing the second leg will be at Old Trafford. Article continues below Referee Espen Eskas pictured officiating the Champions League contest between Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund (Image: UEFA via Getty Images ) Bilbao have their own motivations beyond the obvious to advance to the final. The showcase fixture will be hosted in their San Mames Stadium and they will fancy themselves in the final should they make it that far. Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis. Article continues below Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories. And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast, featuring The Samuel Luckhurst Show and The Midweek Debate. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.