Barça seeks European redemption against United

Barça seeks European redemption against United

Xavi's team examines its great moment against an also revitalized rival in the Europa League play-off

BARCELONA, 15 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) -

FC Barcelona has this Thursday (6:45 p.m.) at the Spotify Camp Nou a height test and with a lot at stake against Manchester United, in the first leg of the Europa League round of 32, the return to a second continental step that he wants transfer his great streak of 16 games without losing and outstanding leader of LaLiga Santander.

Xavi Hernández's team has fulfilled the illusion it generated, due to the new project and the signings, but it was difficult for them to get off the ground and along the way they fell out of the Champions League. For the second year in a row, the great goal of being European champion, for the last time in 2015, vanished, but the one from Terrassa has restored the confidence and the game to Barça that he took on in November 2021.

The poster for the tie against United removes that secondary label from the competition and gives the culé team the option to claim itself in Europe. Barça arrives launched into the game and results to this new exam, with a style that works for them and their best defense in many years. In the afternoon session, on a Thursday like they didn't want, the Barça team will have to get all that out against a United that is also grown and with a similar dynamic.

The recent culé history is similar to the 'red devil'. Another injured great who sees the bonanza in his season with Ten Hag and an almost forgotten regularity. The Manchester team entrusted itself to the Dutchman after almost hitting bottom in a bad image and, despite a difficult start, he has come back to be a candidate for the Premier.

The English are not averse to the European adventure either and seek to transfer those sensations to an international showcase from which they left a long time ago. A United that won the Europa League in 2017, its last title so far, proves its response to a bigger challenge like the Camp Nou. A lot has happened and redemption lies in matches like this Thursday and onwards, with everything at stake.

Xavi's team enters this decisive stretch of the season with the game they have been looking for for a long time thanks to an active midfield, with Frenkie de Jong against a Ten Hag that put him on the map with Ajax, with forwards who press and a defense that was reinforced very well. The signings of Kounde and Christensen have given the quality at the back that Barça needed and Araujo has become a true quarterback, a Puyol nine years later.

The Uruguayan gave his last exhibition against Villarreal, with a dozen recoveries and a tireless attitude. One of the keys for the Catalan team to be at the top of the League, with a different energy and sensations. Barça begins to play by heart, the World Cup break did not affect them, and they have also won high-level wins against Betis, Atlético and Real Madrid.

Despite Dembélé's loss or not having the great Ansu Fati, Xavi's men work with pressure up front and enough goals. He is not always accompanied by a punch that sentences and against United he should refine just in case. Lewandowski participates in the framework but has lost effectiveness, although Pedri has broken in from the second line to score. Raphinha is another fixture, like Gavi and De Jong, while Sergio Busquets is out due to a sprain.

Seven victories by the minimum in the League are worth having high confidence that the answer will also come out against United. The English team reaffirmed itself after the World Cup in Qatar with Rashford scoring 13 goals in the 15 games since the break. Only one 'red devil' defeat in those matches, third in the Premier.

The Englishman's inspiration is almost a goal guarantee for Ten Hag's men, while Bruno Fernandes and Garnacho are the engine of theirs. The appointment will not have the former Real Madrid Cristiano Ronaldo, the morbid when the draw was, due to the noisy departure of the Portuguese, but it is a classic for two teams hungry for great European nights.

FC BARCELONA: Ter Stegen; Kound, Araujo, Christensen, Balde; De Jong, Kessie, Gavi, Pedri; Raphinha and Lewandowski.

MANCHESTER UNITED: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Lindelöf, Shaw; Casemiro, Fred; Antony, Bruno Fernandes, Grenache; Rashford.

-- Referee: Maurizio Mariani (ITA).

--STADIUM: Spotify Camp Nou.

--TIME: 6:45 p.m./Movistar Champions League.