Man Utd vs Barca in Europa League
Among potential opponents, Barca is perhaps the most ominous name for Man Utd. Historically, the two teams have faced each other 13 times in European competitions. In particular, the culmination is the two finals of the Champions League 2009 and 2011, where the victory belonged to the Spanish club. In the last confrontation, the quarter-finals of the Champions League 2018-2019, Barca continued to dominate: winning 1-0 at Old Trafford and 3-0 at Camp Nou.
At this reunion, the first leg will take place at the Nou Camp on February 16, 2023, the second leg will take place a week later at Old Trafford. The winning team wins tickets to the round of 16 and encounters the top teams of the Europa League group stage.
Current form does not favor Man Utd. They just lost to Aston Villa 1-3 in round 14 of the English Premier League, thereby missing the opportunity to equalize the score with the fourth team Tottenham. This season, "Red Devils" won seven, drew two, lost four after 13 rounds. In the group stage of the Europa League, they have the same 15 points as Real Sociedad, but are behind due to losing their head-to-head record.
Barca have to play in the Europa League, but are at the top of the La Liga table with 34 points after 13 matches. Their force was also significantly enhanced in the summer with the participation of good players such as Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Marcos Alonso or Franck Kessie.
The upcoming confrontation will also see the reunion between Erik ten Hag and his old friend Frenkie de Jong, who he tried to pull away from Barca in the summer but failed.
In the remaining pairs, Juventus faced a less well-known opponent than Nantes. But based on the performance of "Old Lady" this season, this is not necessarily an easy challenge to overcome for teachers and students Max Allegri. In the Champions League group stage, Juventus lost five and won one.
Dutch defending champion Ajax meets the emerging force of the Bundesliga Union Berlin, while another Dutch representative, PSV, faces Sevilla - the most successful team in Europa League history with six championships, most recently in the 2019 season. 2020.
Jose Mourinho's AS Roma met Austrian club RB Salzburg, a UEFA Cup finalist - the forerunner of the Europa League - in 1994. Leverkusen, led by former midfielder Xabi Alonso, faced Monaco. The remaining two matches are Sporting Lisbon - Midtjylland and Shakhtar Donetsk - Rennes.
