Paul Scholes has suggested that Manchester United playing their second leg against Athletic Bilbao at Old Trafford will be an advantage. United's record against Spanish clubs in European competition over the last seven years has been poor, and they will travel to the Basque Country to take on Athletic Bilbao this week. Ruben Amorim will be desperate for his side to avoid defeat at the Estadio de San Mames, which would increase the chances of reaching the final of the competition. The second leg will be played at Old Trafford next Thursday, and Lyon dramatically crumbled in Manchester in the quarter-finals. Scholes believes playing the semi-final second leg at Old Trafford is an advantage because he thinks United would "struggle" in a decisive game away from home at Estadio de San Mames. "Man Utd have been a disaster in the Premier League this year," he wrote in his TNT Sports column . "It’s been really difficult to watch and again it was difficult once more against Bournemouth. "The Europa League has given them a little bit of life. Winning it will not save their season because the Premier League is your bread and butter and that’s where you’ll be judged, and I think Amorim knows that. "There’s a bit of light at the end of the tunnel with the Europa League for the fans especially. They’ve got a tough game against Athletic Club as they’re one of the better teams left in the competition. I think being at home in the second leg helps them. "If they were away in the second leg, I think they’d really struggle to get through, but if they can go over there and get a result, then the crowd at Old Trafford in that second leg can really get you through. "You wouldn’t be putting your money on them and calling them favourites to win it because of how inconsistent they are, but out of the four teams, they’ve got as good a chance as any of them." Athletic Bilbao have the best defensive record in La Liga this season - they have conceded just 26 goals - and they have the benefit of a full week without a game to prepare for United. In comparison, United are guaranteed to record the lowest-ever Premier League points total. However, despite United's position in the Premier League, Amorim has insisted "every player" still wants to play for the club. "It’s Manchester United. What I feel is there are a lot of players that want to play for our club," he said at a press conference at Carrington last week. "If you look at our club in the moment with all the problems, changing coach, it looks a little bit of a problem, but we have a clear idea and that’s the easiest part to explain for a player. It’s Manchester United and every player wants to play for Manchester United." --- Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis. 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 .