Europa League Qualifying Round – Barcelona v Manchester United
The Europa League returns this week with a blockbuster game involving Barcelona and Manchester United, two teams in fine form. Both teams will hope to win the first leg ahead of the return game in Manchester next week. Join us as we preview the game.
Two sides in blazing form, Barcelona topping the Spanish La Liga and Manchester United in the top three in the English Premier League. They play in the Europa League playoffs over two legs, with the winner moving onto the round of 16, which makes this encounter even more exciting. We take you through all the details about a meeting that promises to be a classic battle of enticing football.
Barcelona has featured against Manchester United thirteen times in all competitions (the Spaniards won six, the Englishmen won three, and four stalemates between them). The first three encounters were in the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, while each of the last ten was in the Champions League. However, times have changed, and the two European giants are fighting for a chance to compete in the UEFA Europa League.
The hosts, who have won each of the previous four games, will hope to equal Liverpool’s record (2000-2002) of defeating the Red Devils in five consecutive games.
Playing at Camp Nou has not given them much joy lately, as they have won just twice and lost five (drawing four) in the previous eleven European games.
Against English teams, the Catalans have lost just twice in thirty-five UEFA competitions games, winning twenty-two and drawing eleven. The defensive line has been their strongest shield gearing up for a positive result as they conceded eight goals in fourteen home games.
Barcelona has undergone a massive transformation in recent years under the stewardship of Xavi Hernandez, who transformed them from ruins to being able to compete at the highest level. The Spaniards dropped to the European League for a second consecutive season after finishing third in their Champions’ League group C behind Inter Milan and Bayern Munich. However, they have since been in fine form and are on a current unbeaten run of sixteen games (fifteen wins, one draw) which has sent them eleven points ahead in the Spanish League race and won the Supercopa de Espana title.
Robert Lewandowski has scored forty-five goals in his last thirty-seven games in European competitions. The Polish veteran has been directly involved in nine goals across the previous three games against English clubs; seven (three goals, four assists) against Chelsea in two games in 2020 and two goals against Spurs in 2019.
The Red Devils have been undergoing a transformation of their own under Erik ten Hag that has seen them strategically establish a working system that suits the players. Manchester United currently sits third in the Premier League table. If they keep up the impressive run with more than fifteen games to play, they could be genuine contenders for the title. However, neighbours City and Arsenal are likelier to claim the most significant domestic honour.
They must build a competitive team that has lost just once in seventeen games (fourteen wins, two draws), keeping eight shutouts in this run. Therefore, they will be full of confidence in their five-game winning run in Europe and if they set up a sixth for the first time since 1965-66.
A tough encounter against the Spanish giants as they have not only lost the last four games against Barcelona but have also been eliminated by Spanish teams in their last five European campaigns.
Marcus Rashford will try to emulate the achievements of Lewandowski, with the Englishman currently hot property with seventeen goal contributions (thirteen goals, four assists) since the World Cup.
Manchester United missed out on topping their Europa League group E by a goal difference to Real Sociedad and are now forced to participate in the knockout playoffs.
Lisandro Martinez’s suspension for this match will be a massive miss as they have been excellent defensively with the World Cup winner in the line-up. In addition, new loan signing Marcel Sabitzer is also suspended after reaching the limit for yellow cards while playing for his parent club Bayern Munich.
Barcelona v Manchester United – Players to Watch
Pedri scored the goal in the Catalans’ previous game, winning 1 – 0 against Villareal. With all focus being on Lewandowski, who provided the assist for the goal, the Spaniard maestro can be the real game changer influencing the game from midfield, and his performance in the night could directly affect how the team performs.
Garnacho has greatly influenced the team scoring important goals coming off the bench. The Argentine was the inspiration in the comeback win against Manchester City and scored the second and all-important goal in their most recent match against Leeds United to seal the win. In a game where they will most likely not have most of the possession and will be outplayed for the ball, he could be the all-important player to come off the bench and marshal a winning charge in the final minutes.
Barcelona v Manchester United – Team News
Lewandowski has scored forty goals in the last thirty-seven games in European competitions. Barcelona will be featured in the Europa League for the second consecutive season after being eliminated from the Champions League. Rashford has contributed seventeen goals (thirteen goals, four assists) since the World Cup. Lisandro Martinez is the prominent absentee in the Manchester United line-up.
Barcelona v Manchester United – Expected Line-ups:
Barcelona (4-3-3): Starting eleven: Ter Stegen, Kounde, Araujo, Christensen, Balde, Kessie, De Jong, Pedri, Gavi, Lewandowski, Raphinha Subs: Alarcon, Alba, Alonso, Fati, Garcia, Pena, Roberto, Tenas, Torre, Torres, Injured: Busquets, Dembele
Manchester United (4-3-3) Starting eleven; De Gea, Dalot, Martinez, Maguire, Shaw, Casemiro, Fred, Fernandes, Rashford, Sancho, Weghorst Subs: Elanga, Garnacho, Garner, Heaton, Malacia, Varane, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Pellistri, Iqbal Injured: Antony, Eriksen, Martial, McTominay, Van de Beek
Not available: Greenwood
Barcelona v Manchester United Conclusion & Betting Tips
A trip to Barcelona is a daunting trip at the best of times, but the Spanish team’s excellent run of form means Manchester United needs to be at its best to take anything from this game.
The last time Barcelona tasted defeat was in October last year when Bayern beat them 3-0 at Camp Nou. Since then, they have played 16 games in all competitions and won 15, a 1-1 draw, with Espanyol being the only time they have dropped points.
Manchester United are in a similar run of form with just two losses since October 6th (Aston Villa 3-1 and Arsenal 3-2).
We feel there will be goals in the game, and we predict a narrow 2-1 win for the home side, which is available at 15/2 with 888sport.
The goalscorer market is popular at the best football betting sites, and Robert Lewandowski is the bookie’s favourite to open the scoring at 3/1 and a lowly 5/6 to score anytime. The 34-year-old is 15/4 to score two and 14/1 to score a hat trick.
For Manchester United, it’s no surprise that Marcus Rashford is low odds for the Red Devils. The 25-year-old is 3/1 to open the scoring and 13/8 to find the net anytime. However, in the form he is in, it might be tempting to back him in the multi-scorers market. The Englishman is 9/1 for a double and 50/1 to claim the match ball.
The Barcelona v Manchester United game is on Thursday at an early kick-off time of 17:45. The game will be broadcast on BT Sport.
