Europa League
Barcelona vs. Manchester United Live
#FCBMUN LIVE | Updated overview of the day
Rashford playing in great form!
Beautiful game ends in a 2-2 draw
Half-time ended goalless despite several great chances for both sides
Unfortunately Pedri will not finish today’s game. A big loss for Xavi!
Alba makes his 450th start for FCB
Sir Alex Ferguson and Nani also visited Barcelona
It’s not easy for Red Devils fans!
Barcelona fans head to Camp Nou
The best possible line-up?
Maybe not the best, but definitely the most expensive! This line-up would be worth 628 million euros.
United fans tuning their vocal cords for the evening
What a challenge!
Zlatan’s red glow
Exactly 6 years ago, Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a hat-trick in the Europa League for Manchester United. His rampage was taken by French side Saint-Étienne, who the Red Devils went through to the final, where they beat Ajax. However, the Swedish striker has not featured since the semi-final due to injury.
Samuel Eto’o vs. Manchester United
In 2009, Eto’o opened the scoring in the Champions League final with this goal. Lionel Messi then secured the lead in the 70th minute.
Preview
Barcelona last lost to Bayern on 26 October, and since then only Espanyol have managed to turn the tables on them in the city derby. However, Xavi’s charges have probably already seen each other celebrate New Year’s Eve, as this duel took place on 31 December last year.
Moreover, in the last 7 matches, the Catalans have only scored once and that was before defender Jules Koundé, who is one of the team’s highest rated players, had to hit the ball into his own net.
Manchester United certainly can’t boast such a form, but even so, in the last 6 games they have only lost points in a 2-2 draw with Leeds United. The results are good, but the performances on the pitch are not so good.
Moreover, Erik ten Hag counts a number of losses when several key figures cannot play for various reasons. However, compared to the Premier League, at least the key man of the midfield Casemiro can come in and his La Liga experience will definitely help.
Barcelona have good memories of United
Barcelona are just good at Manchester United! Two Champions League finals and the aforementioned double playoff match, which they dominated with a 4-0 aggregate score. In these last 4 matches, the English have scored only one goal.
But will it be different now? Ten Hague’s strategy will very likely be about trying to catch the Spanish side by surprise with speed. However, for most of the match we can expect to see the Catalan footballers on the ball.
In addition, Robert Lewandowski, who has scored 5 times in 5 Champions League games, will be ready at the top, adding 14 league goals and 4 in Spanish cups.
On the other hand, he will rely mainly on Marcus Rashford, who has already scored 21 goals for the Red Devils this season. In the last three games he has played, he has scored one goal each and has been behind the team’s good results.
Prediction
Barcelona are the clear favourites for Thursday’s clash, though both quality and form clearly speak for the home side. However, lightning forays could cause problems for the Catalan outfit.
If Xavi’s charges keep this in mind, the Red Devils players will most likely have nothing major up their sleeve and their defeat can be expected. But so are the goals, which should be mainly taken care of by the Polish canon.
In addition, we will probably see Harry Maguire in the starting line-up with Raphael Varane, who if he again encourages the opponents with his misplaced passes, Lewandowski and co. will probably know what to do compared to the Leeds United players.
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