Europa League: Manchester United vs. Barcelona Preview, Odds, Prediction

Manchester United brought an active result from Camp Nou, but Barcelona isn’t surrendering. Old Trafford will see another chapter of a massive rivalry between these two clubs, and we are here to cover it. Manchester United is steaming on confidence, as they just rolled over Leicester in the English Premier League. On the other side, Barcelona was better than Cadiz, increasing their edge over Real Madrid in the La Liga standings. Both crews are in fantastic shape, and the fans expect to see nothing less than fireworks.

Preview

Manchester United (+130) beat Leicester 3-0; that was the ninth consecutive event in which the Red Devils haven’t lost. Their record during this interval was seven victories, and two draws, one of them in Barcelona.

Overall, United has just one loss in the past 18 events, and Erik Ten Hag’s team recorded 14 triumphs, three draws, and that failure in London against Arsenal, 3-2. 

The Red Devils’ performances at home are equally impressive, as United has 15 wins and two draws in the most recent 17 contests at Trafford. Marcus Rashford and the boys upfront are in incredible shape, netting two or more goals in the latest 12 meetings in front of their own crowd. Only two of those contests haven’t ended with Over 2.5 goals.

Barcelona (+230) is without a defeat in 18 games in a row, which tells a lot about how this unit plays. Xavi managed to put all the puzzle pieces in their place, though he has a problem ahead of Thursday’s clash. 

His main midfielder, Pedri, isn’t available for this clash, and he will be out for some time due to a quadriceps injury. His partner from the Barca and the national team, Gavi, will have to double his effort to cover up Pedri’s absence and keep things running smoothly as they did up until now. 

Blaugrana has 11 consecutive victories away from Camp Nou, and in seven of them, Barca netted twice or more. Quick counter-attacks and heavy pressure on the rival’s midfield are the recipes for success, and after the goal, Barcelona takes possession and kills the tempo. 

Latest News

Casemiro is returning because his suspension isn’t applied to the UEFA competitions. Anthony won’t be eligible, the same as Eriksen, Martial, and van de Beek.

As said, Pedri is out, while many hope to see Ousmane Dembele, at least, on the bench in this clash. 

Head to Head Games

The first meeting ended 2-2, with all four goals coming in the second 45 minutes. Barca took the lead, but ten minutes following that, the guests from Manchester were up 1-2. Still, Blaugrana managed to keep its honor and an active result before the rematch with a late goal. 

The last time these two units met at Old Trafford was in 2019, and Barca got back home with a 0-1 win. It was the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals back then.

Prediction

Like in Barcelona, this game should be interesting and efficient. United has slightly higher chances of winning, but we will not pick the full-time result here, yet focus on efficiency. Over 2.5 goals are our choice, with the odds on that set at -105.

Pick: Over 2.5 goals -105

Here are more previews for the UCL Round of 16:

• RB Leipzig vs. Manchester City
• Liverpool vs. Real Madrid
• Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Napoli
• Inter vs. Porto