Man United vs Barcelona

Barcelona manager Xavi has confirmed that midfielder Sergio Busquets will be fit enough to face Manchester United in the second leg of their Europa League ...

"We've played a lot of games, we're tired, and we still won 2-0. "We were lucky not to concede. We're in a very good position, but there is a lot left to do." "The other day, we lost Pedri. With a tired squad and plenty of rotation, Xavi's primary focus was escaping the Cadiz game with three points and no further injury problems. "Today, he was ready to play," Xavi said after the game.

Read our betting guide for the latest Man United vs Barcelona prediction including how to watch, Europa League odds, and best soccer picks.

Marcus Rashford and Robert Lewandowski look set to be the most important players on the pitch, as the influential forwards lead their respective sides in terms of goal-scoring this term. However, United has won just once in their previous eleven against Barcelona, with the Catalonian club going without defeat in each of the last five. But, will it be Man United or Barcelona that are able to reach the next stage of the competition?

Barcelona have been handed a major injury boost ahead of their Europa League clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Thursday.

That could be pivotal if Barcelona are to claim victory. [La Liga](https://www.sportbible.com/la-liga) was always going to be a tough ask for Erik ten Hag's side, but they held their own in the first leg. [Barcelona](https://www.sportbible.com/barcelona) side which is reportedly set to include veteran midfielder [Sergio Busquets](https://www.sportbible.com/sergio-busquets).

A lot went on on Thursday night at the Camp Nou and there were some real stand out performers read on to find out who they were.

At the [Camp Nou](https://www.vavel.com/en/international-football/2023/02/16/europa-league/1137934-barcelona-2-2-manchester-united-european-classic-leaves-tie-in-the-balance.html) it was the same story as he seemed to win everything and anything that came close to him as well as making a couple of great recovery tackles when Barcelona broke through. Should have scored in the first half but other than that a very good performance despite being played out of position, a great performance. He dropped deep a lot as well to give Raphinha more time on the ball and his overall game was very good. Also put in some very good crosses which were to no avail. However there were times where he could have been tidier in possession but overall a good performance. He also lost the ball a couple of times in some key attacking areas. He came central a lot to allow to get forwards on the outside as well and just generally looked good. Possibly could have offered more protection to Barcelona’s defence however he kept the ball well and did his job. Forced to play deeper than he would have liked and dealt with Raphinha well for most of the game however should have done more to stop the shot coming in for the second goal. Replaced Pedri and played ok , he won the ball back a few times in the midfield and he did the basics very well. A very uncharacteristic performance from the Englishman as he couldn’t seem to get his positioning right defensively which meant Jordi alba got the better of him and put in some good crosses. Came off injured in the 41st minute however he was very ineffective in the minutes he played and this was a chance to establish himself on the big stage as a big game player however it was one which he did not take.

Manchester United have suffered a fresh injury blow ahead of their Europa League play-off second-leg tie with Barcelona on Thursday at Old Trafford.

Confirming Maguire’s absence against Leicester City, Man United boss, Erik ten Hag said before kick-off on Sunday that the England centre-back has sustained a knee injury and is a doubt for upcoming games against Barcelona and Newcastle. Manchester United captain Harry Maguire is a doubt for the upcoming game against Barcelona and also their Carabao Cup final with Newcastle United next weekend due to a knee injury. Manchester United have suffered a fresh injury blow ahead of their Europa League play-off second-leg tie with Barcelona on Thursday at Old Trafford.

Our former defender meets with the United squad, as focus turns towards the Barcelona tie.

He was at Carrington in his capacity as a BT Sport pundit, to interview Bruno Fernandes, but the ex-England international also met with the rest of the squad and no doubt offered a word of wisdom or two to our current vintage. Rio Ferdinand returns to Carrington, and greets the Reds as they get back to work on the training pitches. [@ManUtd]❤️ [pic.twitter.com/SXFuFkulo2] [February 20, 2023] [The tie is in the balance following a scintillating 2-2 draw at the Nou Camp](https://www.manutd.com/en/videos/detail/90-in-20-barcelona-v-man-utd-on-16-february-2023), with Ten Hag [asking fans to turn Old Trafford into a cauldron this week](https://www.manutd.com/en/news/detail/erik-ten-hag-tells-man-utd-fans-to-be-there-against-barcelona-19-february-2023) - as they did 15 years ago, when Rio captained us to a 1-0 Champions League semi-final win over the same opposition.

MANCHESTER UNITED played out a thrilling 2-2 draw against Barcelona at the Nou Camp last week.Marcus Rashford stepped up once again with a performance.

2019 - Barcelona 3-0 Manchester United - Champions League quarter-final 1998 - Barcelona 3-3 Manchester United - Champions League group stage 1998 - Manchester United 3-3 Barcelona - Champions League group stage 1994 - Barcelona 4-0 Manchester United - Champions League group stage 1994 - Manchester United 2-2 Barcelona - Champions League group stage [Marcus Rashford](https://www.thesun.co.uk/who/marcus-rashford/) stepped up once again with a performance that befits his red-hot scoring streak.