Erik ten Hag takes a depleted Manchester United squad to face Barcelona on Thursday in what promises to be an epic clash of two of Europe's biggest and most in-form teams.
While United are enjoying a resurgent season under Ten Hag, Xavi Hernandez has guided Barcelona to the top of La Liga, where they boast an eight-point lead over bitter rivals Real Madrid. But the focus at the Camp Nou come 8pm will on the first leg of this Europa League play-off tie, as the sides battle it out for a place in the last 16.
The Red Devils were forced into the additional round after finishing second in their group behind Real Socieded, as not even a 1-0 win away from home against the Spaniards was enough to overturn a costly defeat in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford. Barca, on the other hand, were dumped out of the Champions League at the first hurdle, slumping to third place in a group containing fellow European heavyweights Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.
