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Manchester United host Barcelona at Old Trafford in a hugely important UEFA Europa League round of 16 second leg tie.
The first leg last Thursday ended 2-2 to set up a thrilling second leg at Old Trafford. Looking at the tournament as a whole, it is fair to say Barcelona and Manchester United are the two best teams.
Whoever wins this fixture instantly becomes the bookies’ favourites to win it all. Such is the significance of this game.
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Erik ten Hag’s men are slight favourites. Why? Well, because they have Marcus Rashford.
In this piece, we highlight three important points to consider before kick-off.
Pedri, Gavi unavailable
This is a huge loss for Xavi. After finally unlocking a system that allows Barca to dominate possession and suffocate teams high up the pitch while fitting four midfielders into the team, the loss of these two will be significant.
Both Pedri and Gavi are key members for the execution of Xavi's style, and both will not be available for Thursday's second leg.
Pedri, who suffered a thigh injury in the first leg will miss four weeks, and Gavi has been suspended for one match in Europe for a yellow card.
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Gavi sets the tone in terms of aggression and energy. He is a pressing machine and his flair and grace on the ball make him an indispensable asset to Xavi and Barcelona.
More importantly, the absence of Pedri is sure to hit the Blaugrana hard. Pedri has been ever-present in LaLiga this season, starting 18 of Barca’s 22 games.
He has played the most minutes of any outfield player for Barca in the league (1,632) and is also their second-highest scorer with six goals.
The Unstoppable Marcus Rashford
Rashford is in blistering form at the moment. Scoring goals for fun seemingly every weekend or every three days. He has scored 24 goals for Manchester United this season and that is not even the half of it.
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The way he strikes fear into the heart of defenders when he’s on the ball is just one of the many reasons why he’s such an asset to Ten Hag right now.
Whether he’s lining up on the right or on the left, he is certain to wreak havoc on opponents. He scored a lovely goal at the Camp Nou last week and set up another one through brilliant footwork.
The Barcelona defenders must know they have a Herculean task on their hands keeping Rashford off the score sheet. Something the must do in order to progress.
Barca need a statement win
Defeating the red-hot Manchester United at Old Trafford will probably count as Xavi’s biggest win of the season. Especially without two vital players in Pedri and Gavi.
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The Blaugrana have been defensively solid in LaLiga but a rampant United side are in no mood to hand out free clean sheets to Xavi and his men. They will have to defend for their lives in order to take anything from this game.
A victory over United will really make people sit up and listen.
It promises to be a cracking game. While Erik ten Hag is doing a brilliant job at Manchester United, Barcelona can never be written off.
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