The much-awaited Europa League draws have finally concluded and Barçelona have drawn historic European rivals Manchester United in what is a mouth-watering clash for the football purists.
Barcelona, losing out on the ticket to UCL knockouts are here in the second tier of European competitions whilst Manchester United finished 2nd in their Europa League Group.
As for as League form is concerned, Erik ten Hag has somehow redeemed the Red Devil’s reputation, who were in much grave trouble last season under the leadership of Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.
Erik brought in Casemiro, Tyrel Malacia, Antony, and Lisandro Martinez who have been major improvements over the previous players at the positions, and the betterment in playstyle is evident.
They now sit 5th in the premier league, and although they haven’t looked very convincing against top teams in their league, they grind results out. The win against Arsenal is a testament to their abilities.
Talking about Barcelona, they performed well in La Liga, though they have not been convincing in the Champions League and much of it is accredited to the injury issues after the international break. Since their players will return from injuries before the Europa League play-off round is played, an improved performance is expected from them.
Though the world cup can be a major factor in how the context of the match changes after the long break, one thing is for sure- Lisandro Martinez won’t play in the first leg against La Blaugrana, which will be a major miss for Manchester United due to suspension.
The current head-to-head record in the last 10 meetings stands at 5 wins for the Garnet and the Blue while the Red Devils came out victorious only once and managed to get 4 draws. However, football is not played on paper and this makes the match a nail-biting electric fixture.
