Manchester United finished second in their Europa League group and will therefore play a play-off round against teams dropping down from the Champions League in order to secure a place in the round of 16.
Inevitably, Erik ten Hag’s men were drawn against Barcelona, who endured a nightmare campaign in the Champions League after heavy investments over the summer.
Frenkie de Jong, United’s main transfer subject this year, will steal all of the headlines going into the double-header but this is a classic fixture in Europe and worthy of more than a Europa League play-off game.
Speaking this week, United shot-stopper David de Gea has delivered his reaction to the draw, insisting the Reds must beat the best teams in order to prove themselves.
“We know Barcelona is a great team, I think they are playing well,” De Gea is quoted as saying by the official Manchester United website.
“If you want to win the Europa League, you have to play against the best teams and Barcelona is [one of these]. It’s one for the fans and we will try our best to win both games.
“Yeah, I think so [it’s a good test]. There’s still a lot of time [before we have] to play the Europa League games so we have to be focused on the rest of the games [before then].
“Of course, playing against the best teams is always a challenge, so we need to be very ready to play against Barcelona and to play against any team that we have to play against.”
The two games will be played in February, with United making the trip to the Spotify Camp Nou for the first game. Lisandro Martinez, one of United’s most important players under Ten Hag, will miss the first leg due to a one-game suspension.
SN’s verdict…
United’s poor form in Europe over the last couple of years has meant that Old Trafford has been stripped of the annual all-star bout at the Theatre of Dreams.
Several years have passed since European heavyweights came to Old Trafford, with Barcelona’s visit in 2019 arguably being the biggest fixture over the last three years.
Now, United have a chance to avenge both defeats in that tie three years ago but more importantly, Ten Hag will be desperate to eliminate his biggest competition for the Europa League trophy.
