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.
It was in United's consolation victory over Real Sociedad that Lisandro Martinez picked up his third yellow card of the group stage, earning him a suspension this match. Marcel Sabitzer also won't be available, as the trio of bookings that he picked up while playing for parent club Bayern - one of which was against Barcelona - carry over from the Champions League to the Europa.
With that in mind, Ten Hag will be forced into making some charges from the Red Devils' recent games. David de Gea is almost guaranteed to start in goal, but finding an appropriate centre-back partner for Raphael Varane is the Dutch boss' biggest conundrum, especially against a Barca attack led by Robert Lewandowski.
Luke Shaw shone alongside the Frenchman at the turn of the year and is left-footed, an aspect which Ten Hag values in his defence. The England international started next to compatriot and club captain Harry Maguire in Sunday's hard-fought 2-0 win at Leeds, while fellow backup Victor Lindelof also has an outside shout of being named in the starting XI.
Shaw's switch to the centre would see Tyrell Malacia keep his place at left-back, although there's more of a debate on the right-hand side. Aaron-Wan Bissaka has largely been Ten Hag's first-choice right-back in 2023, ousting Diogo Dalot during his injury layoff after representing Portugal at the World Cup.
Having started United's past two games, the Portuguese would increase his side's threat going forward, but Wan-Bissaka is the more assured defensive option up against reigning Golden Boy winner Gavi. Dalot has notably been linked with a transfer to Barcelona, and will be keen to impress both his current and potential future employers if he gets the nod.
Moving into midfield and Sabitzer's absence makes things simple - Casemiro and Fred will be the partnership barring any last-minute issues. Christian Eriksen, Scott McTominay and Donny van de Beek have also suffered injuries in recent weeks, leaving the Red Devils light in the midfield department and prompting club chiefs to sign Sabitzer on loan until the end of the season.
In attack, Wout Weghorst appears to be undroppable, despite scoring only one goal for United, while the in-form duo of Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes are set to be in the supporting cast alongside a resurgent Jadon Sancho. Alejandro Garnacho could count himself unfortunate if he misses out, but Sancho's big-game experience and the fact he was substituted after an hour on Sunday suggests that Ten Hag wanted him fresh for the trip to the Camp Nou, particularly with Antony and Anthony Martial still out.
Have your say! What should Man Utd's starting XI be to face Barcelona? Join the debate in the comments section.
One thing is for sure, whoever is selected for the Red Devils will have a serious challenge ahead of then. Barca, who'll be without midfield linchpin Sergio Busquets and electric winger Ousmane Dembele, are flying at the top of La Liga and look unstoppable - although former Real Madrid duo Varane and Casemiro have heard that kind of talk before and put a firm stop to it.
It's such a big game that Ten Hag reckons it should be a much grander occasion. "I think Barcelona and us as well would have preferred to play this match in the final," the United manager told UEFA.com, sprinkling more excitement into the mix.
"We are looking forward to it, it takes a lot of energy searching for that finish and it will be a great game. Hopefully, everyone is fit for Barcelona and for us. So, we see a game that will be played at the highest level. As a player, I admire Barcelona's manager, Xavi. Barcelona, the way they played with him: he was such an important part of the team.
"You can see the philosophy he now brings to his Barcelona. I really like his team, the attacking way of play. I think he is heading in the right direction. I think it's going to be a good challenge between Manchester United and Barcelona."
Predicted Man Utd line-up vs Barcelona: (4-2-3-1) De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Shaw, Malacia; Casemiro, Fred; Sancho, Fernandes, Rashford; Weghorst.
