Bilbao in decline ahead of Schalke test

LONDON (AP) — The hangover from its surprise elimination of Manchester United is threatening to jeopardize Athletic Bilbao's hopes of winning the Europa League ahead of the Spanish club's visit to Schalke in the first leg of the quarterfinals on Thursday.

Athletic attracted comparisons with the mighty Barcelona by producing two legs of mesmerizing football to oust the favorites in the last 16, but hasn't won in four La Liga games since.

Schalke, the competition winner in 1996 and in fine form in the Bundesliga, will look to take full advantage in one of two quarterfinals between Spanish and German teams.

"They are a very good unit and when their attack starts rolling, it's difficult for any team to stop Bilbao," said Sergio Escudero, one of three Spaniards in Schalke's squad.

"But I think we have a good chance of reaching the semifinals."

With United and Premier League title rival Manchester City surprisingly knocked out in the last round, Europe's second-tier club competition looks wide open this year.

Atletico Madrid, the 2010 winner, hosts Hannover in the first leg of their quarterfinal while Valencia — the third Spanish team through to the last eight — travels to AZ Alkmaar of the Netherlands.

Sporting Lisbon's reward for ousting City is a two-legged match against Metalist Kharkiv, arguably the underdog among the remaining teams.

Fatigue seems to have caught up with Bilbao, one of the hardest-working teams in Europe, and its thin bench has also finally been revealed, just when qualification for the Champions League through a top-four finish in La Liga seemed possible.

Spain striker Fernando Llorente doesn't look fully fit from the left leg injury he sustained in the second leg match against United, while midfielder David Lopez is a doubt after injuring his right ankle in training on Monday.

"If we play the type of game we know how to play, we've got a chance of getting a good result and then, back here at the San Mames, of going through," midfielder Markel Susaeta said.

Bilbao has reached the quarterfinals for the first time since 1977, when it went on to lose to Juventus on away goals in the two-legged final.

Schalke, which beat FC Twente in the last 16, is third in the Bundesliga after three straight wins and can call on a strikeforce that contains Netherlands international Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, the Europa League's top scorer with nine goals, and former Spain forward Raul Gonzalez.

"Raul has already told us a few things about Bilbao. That's why we know that we can expect a real tough job," Schalke defender Christian Fuchs said.

Atletico has come back to earth after a long honeymoon under coach Diego Simeone, losing two of three domestically after just one loss in the former Argentina international's first 10 games in charge.

Still, the 2010 champions have won all four European games under Simeone and midfielder Thiago has recovered from a leg muscle injury, with Brazilian playmaker Diego also likely to be available against Hannover after recovering from a right thigh injury.

Midtable Bundesliga side Hannover is the least experienced team in the quarterfinals, with only one previous European campaign — in the now-defunct European Cup Winners' Cup — in its history.

Two straight losses in the Spanish league have left Valencia coach Unai Emery under pressure and his future looking uncertain ahead of the trip to Alkmaar.

"The team is not in great shape," midfielder David Albelda said. "But the situation isn't as critical as you all would like to make it seem. We've been in much worse situations."

Valencia beat another Dutch team, PSV Eindhoven, in the last 16.