Man Utd vs Barcelona: UEL R32, 2nd Leg Match Preview, Predicted Line-ups and Fantasy XI

Man Utd vs Barcelona: After a thrilling first leg last week in Spain, Manchester United and Barcelona meet in England to decide their Europa League knockout play-off tie.

Man Utd vs Barcelona: Match Preview

The sides played to a 2-2 draw at the Camp Nou in which all four goals were scored in the second half, as if they needed 45 minutes to get up to speed. Once the first goal found the back of the net, three more were tallied over the next 26 minutes as the two giants traded blows but ultimately left in a stalemate.

Now, two of the most in-form clubs in Europe reconvene in Manchester with a spot in the round of 16 on the line.

"When you are facing such big teams as Barcelona, you have to play your best, otherwise you don't have a chance," United manager Erik ten Hag said.

"So, we want to get through, to get to the next round and we have to give the best performance from this season. We believe in it, we're looking forward to it, so it gives us a lot of energy."

Team News:

Man Utd:

Antony and Harry Maguire are fit again for United, while Lisandro Martinez and Marcel Sabitzer are free from suspension.

Still, Wout Weghorst has been operating in more of a midfield role recently alongside Fred, with Casemiro sitting deeper. That could keep Sabitzer out of the starting lineup, though Martinez is expected to play in central defence and Luke Shaw out on the left in place of Tyrell Malacia.

Barcelona:

Pedri, Gavi and Ousmane Dembele are not available due to a mix of injury and suspension.

Sergio Busquets, however, has travelled to Manchester after overcoming an ankle problem.

Man Utd vs Barcelona: Head to Head:

Barcelona have a good record against Manchester United on the European front and have won six out of the 14 matches played between the two teams, as opposed to Manchester United's three victories.

Barcelona have lost four of their five European matches away from home against Manchester United but did manage to win their most recent such game by a 1-0 margin in 2019.

Manchester United have lost only two of their last 11 games at home in Europe but have suffered both these defeats at the hands of Spanish opponents.

Key Stats

• Manchester United have only won one of their last 11 games against Barcelona in European competition (D5 L5), going winless in the most recent five (D1 L4). Their only victory in this run came in April 2008 in a UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg, with Paul Scholes netting in a 1-0 win.
• Barcelona have faced Manchester United away from home in European competition on five previous occasions. After failing to win any of the first four (D2 L2), they won 1-0 on their most recent trip in April 2019 (UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg).
• Manchester United have only lost two of their last 11 European games at Old Trafford (W6 D3), although both defeats in this run came against Spanish opposition: 0-1 vs Atletico Madrid in March 2022 and 0-1 vs Real Sociedad in September 2022.
• Marcus Rashford has averaged a goal every 76 minutes for Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League this season (four goals in total) – the best ratio of any player to have played at least 300 minutes in the competition this term.
• Since the start of the 2019/20 season, Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski has scored 38 goals in 32 appearances in major European competition – more than any other player in this period.

Predicted Line-ups:

Man Utd Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): de Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Fred; Sancho, Bruno Fernandes,Rashford; Weghorst

Barcelona Probable Lineup (4-3-3): ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Alonso, Alba; de Jong, Busquets, Kessie; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Torres

MU vs BAR: Fantasy XI

ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Varane, Martinez, Casemiro, de Jong, Bruno Fernandes, Raphinha, Lewandowski, Rashford