Scholes: 'Man Utd can beat Barca'
"I look forward to Man Utd facing Barca. It will be an attractive competition, promising to create an exciting atmosphere," Scholes commented on BT Sport. "I think Man Utd can beat Barca. On the contrary, Barca is a really strong team. I want Man Utd to face them, but also want the two teams to avoid each other equally."
According to the draw results on November 7, Man Utd met Barca in the Europa League play-off round. Due to the second place in the group, the British representative needs to pass the match in the format of two legs and return to compete for tickets to the 1/8 round. Meanwhile, Barca dropped to the Europa League because they only finished third in the Champions League group stage.
"There are many difficult opponents for Man Utd, not just Barca. But Barca is probably the most ominous name. I want to see this competition. This promises to be a satisfying match for the fans." Scholes said.
Scholes once scored, helping Man Utd beat Barca in the semi-finals of the Champions League 2007-2008, the tournament they won after defeating Chelsea in the final. However, the next two rematches in the 2008-2009 and 2010-2011 finals, he and Man Utd failed in turn.
With 34 points after 13 matches, Barca is leading La Liga, two points ahead of Real. They also made quality additions in the summer, when they recruited Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, Raphinha or Franck Kessie. Man Utd is also in the process of rebuilding under coach Erik ten Hag. They are currently fifth in the Premier League with 23 points from 13 matches.
Another former Man Utd midfielder, Owen Hargreaves, predicts difficulties for the old team. He said: "I want Man Utd to avoid Barca because this is an opponent that can prevent them from reaching the final. Both teams have good players and talented coaches. But this is not a favorable draw for Man Utd. Better, they should avoid Barca."
In contrast, two Man Utd players Antony and Alejandro Garnacho were excited. On Instagram, the Brazilian rookie wrote: "Ready to fight again", and Garnacho added a flame icon next to the photo confirming the match between Man Utd and Barca.
