It was written that for the first season of these revamped Europa League knockout rounds — there’s now a playoff round between teams that finished third in their Champions League groups and teams that finished second in their Europa League groups — there would be a huge tie. And the draw didn’t disappoint!
– UEL Draw: Barca vs. Man United the pick of the round
Barcelona and Manchester United, two European giants chasing a way back to the top, will face each other for a place in the last 16. It means that one of the two managers, Erik ten Hag and Xavi, will be out of Europe very early, which will be another embarrassment and another thing for the club to deal with.
On paper, Barcelona are slightly ahead in their development and process, but United can also beat them. It will be a tactical battle, too; beyond it marking Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to the Camp Nou — as well as for Raphael Varane and Casemiro — it will be the Frenkie De Jong derby. It could be Sergio Busquets’ last-ever European action, too, which amounts to a potentially fascinating tie.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.)
As Xavi put it on Monday, “The draw has given us the most difficult opponent once again, but we will look forward to it and we will compete … It’s the worst draw we could have got. Once again. Sometimes it’s a plus to play against the best sides. Maybe it will bring the best out of us here and at Old Trafford. It’s a challenge.”
