Barcelona sporting director Jordi Cruyff has suggested that the Catalan giants will have to change their style of play in order to combat Manchester United on Thursday night.
The two sides will meet at the Camp Nou for the first leg of their Europa League play off clash, with a place in the knockout stages of the competition up for grabs. Erik ten Hag's side finished second in their group, while Barcelona dropped into the competition after failing to qualify for the Champions League knockout phase.
Xavi's men have been impressive in La Liga this season and currently hold an 11-point lead over rivals Real Madrid in second. The Spanish outfit have the best defensive record in Europe's top-five leagues and will be confident about taking a lead to Old Trafford for the second leg next week.
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However, United have also been in good form in recent months and are the only English side still competing on all four fronts. The Reds find themselves in the top-four of the Premier League and into the final of the Carabao Cup later this month.
Cruyff, who played for both United and Barcelona, admitted that he was excited about a 'Champions League quality' encounter when the two teams face off this week. He also suggested that the Catalan side must adapt to the Reds' intensity, or risk losing the two-legged tie.
"At the moment I think both clubs are very strong, probably the best moment of the season, both," he told Barca TV. "It’s going to be like a Champions League match. It’s not a Europa League feeling. It’s very special, very difficult for both sides. The small details are probably going to be the deciding factor.
"I think the fact it is an English opponent they have a way of playing, their league is more transitional, more physical, of course with a lot of players with a lot of quality. We shouldn’t forget United have a lot of World Cup players so its a very strong squad.
"If we can adapt to their intensity we can have a good chance to go through. It also depends on the ideas of the coaches, there are a lot of games coming up domestically."
United were knocked out of the Champions League by Spanish giants Atletico Madrid last season, while Ten Hag's men also lost 1-0 to Real Soceidad in the Europa League earlier this campaign.
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