Manchester United vs Barcelona tip preview: Another special European night ahead at Old Trafford
- Paul Bathurst
- 23 February 2023
After last week's 2-2 draw in the first leg, Tipstrr football pundit Paul Bathurst anticipates another exciting night ahead as Manchester United and Barcelona resume battle at Old Trafford on Thursday
Erik Ten Haag's side are now favourites to reach the last 16 of the Europa League following an impressive performance at the Camp Nou last week.
Manchester Utd managed to secure a positive result in the opening leg of the standout tie from the Europa League.
The match ended 2-2 with all four goals coming in a whirlwind second half, when Marcos Alonso opened the scoring for FC Barcelona, before a Marcus Rashford strike and a Jules Kounde own goal turned the game on its head.
Raphinha's 76th minute goal ensured the game ended in a draw, leaving everything to play for in what should be an enthralling second leg.
Ten Haag was full of praise for his side and rightly so, as they carried a huge threat throughout and were arguably unfortunate not to win the match.
However, Barcelona started the game very strongly and looked the more likely side to prevail until star midfielder Pedri was taken off injured, which resulted in Barcelona possessing less creativity in breaking the lines.
Sergi Roberto was the replacement from the bench, but he is a utility man who is comfortable on the ball, but without the same cutting edge as the man he replaced. It has since been confirmed that Pedri will be sidelined for around four weeks with a thigh injury.
There is another key player missing for Barcelona when they visit Old Trafford - namely, Gavi, the recent Golden Boy trophy winner who picked up a yellow card last week, which took him to the threshold for a one-game suspension.
Without the energy and skill of both young stars in central midfield, Manchester United are likely to dominate in that area, with Franck Kessie likely to replace Gavi as manager Xavi maintains a 4-3-3 formation.
Manchester United possess a home-grown star of their own in Marcus Rashford, with the pacy winger in the form of his life with 10 goals in his last 10 Premier League appearances.
Last week Xavi opted to play Ronald Araujo at right back and Jules Kounde at centre-back, the reverse of their usual roles as Xavi clearly felt Araujo was better suited to containing Man Utd's biggest threat. The move failed to prevent Rashford from playing a great game and getting on the scoresheet yet again.
Much was made about the signing of Wout Weghorst in January, with many believing he didn't possess the pedigree to be a Manchester United striker, but he has turned out to be the perfect foil for other attackers.
Jadon Sancho has returned to the team in good form, scoring twice in his last four matches, while Bruno Fernandes is also benefiting heavily from the link-up play that Weghorst provides.
The Dutch forward works tirelessly for his side whilst occupying opposing defenders, and his introduction is a big reason for the improved form of the other attackers.
If he could just convert his effort into goals and begin to score consistently, having missed numerous chances at the weekend against Leicester, then United are likely to continue improving.
Despite Barcelona being top of La Liga, without their best two midfielders, Manchester United should have too much for Xavi's side on this occasion.
At better than even money a United win is a solid play, while Rashford to score once again at 13/10 seems more likely than the odds suggest.
