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Manchester United would host Barcelona at Old Trafford as the old foes seek new glories attainable only by vanquishing the other. Both sides could not be separated in the first-leg, but a winner would have to be had in Manchester.
Barcelona and Manchester United face off in the deciding match of their Europa League play-off tie at Old Trafford after neither side managed to clinch the first-leg advantage in a pulsating affair at Camp Nou that ended 2-2.
Manchester United
Erik Ten Hag's side finished second in Group E of the Europa League behind Real Sociedad, condemning themselves to the uncertainties of the playoffs against Champions League third-place finishers.
The Red Devils got the most difficult of draws in Barcelona and would have to get past the Catalan giants if they hope to claim the title they won in the 2016/17 season.
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The Mancunian team showed intent in the first-leg of the encounter, taking the game to the hosts. They fell behind first, but a strike from Marcus Rashford and an own-goal by Jules Kounde saw them go ahead in the game. Barcelona managed to pull one back to draw the game, but United's performance places them as favourites in the second-leg to which they host.
Manchester United are no strangers to knocking Barcelona out of European competitions at Old Trafford, as they knocked the Blaugrana out of the 2007/08 season of the Champions League with a Paul Scholes strike to win 1-0 after an initial draw in the Camp Nou.
Barcelona
Xavi Hernandez's charges got knocked out of the more prestigious Champions League, finishing behind Bayern Munich and Inter Milan, relegating themselves into the Europa League but having to go through the play-offs first to prove themselves worthy.
As Barcelona's coach has repeatedly stated, his team was dealt the most difficult draw in Manchester United. Barcelona would have to defeat the Red Devils, who were favourites to lift the crown at the start of the competition, to pick up their first European title since 2015.
Barcelona dominated in parts in the first-leg of their encounter against Manchester United and did not play badly at all, but they did not translate the advantage of being the home side into any form of sustained supremacy.
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Marcos Alonso fired them ahead in the game, but they went behind in the game as they could not cope with Marcus Rashford. However, they managed to keep the aggregate level from a Raphinha strike.
Barcelona would seek solace in their positive head-to-head record against Manchester United, as they have beaten the Red Devils in four of their last five meetings in European competitions, two of which were Champions League finals.
Possible Lineups Manchester United vs Barcelona
Manchester United
Manchester United are expected to name an unchanged lineup from the one that got a draw at the Camp Nou
David de Gea; Diogo Dalot, Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw; Marcel Sabitzer, Casemiro; Jadon Sancho, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford; Wout Weghorst.
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Key player: Marcus Rashford
Barcelona
With Pedri injured, Gavi suspended, and Ferran's impressive showing against Cadiz, Barcelona are expected to lineup differently from the first leg.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen; Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, Alejandro Balde; Franck Kessie, Frenkie de Jong, Sergi Roberto; Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres.
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Key player: Robert Lewandowski
Verdict
This one is tough to call, and it could go both ways, but one thing is certain: a defeat is more detrimental to Xavi and his current Barcelona project than it is to Erik ten Hag and Manchester United.
For the Spanish manager, a defeat would mean his fourth elimination from European competitions in only two seasons, and it would grossly undermine the good work he is doing in LaLiga this season. However, for Erik ten Hag, it would only be a bump in the road on a journey just starting.
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