Man United face Barcelona in the first-leg of their Europa League play-off round tie on Thursday evening.
Manchester United midfield ace Fred. (Image: Alex Livesey/Getty Images.)
Midfielder Fred believes Raphael Varane’s and Casemiro’s previous experience of facing Barcelona will strengthen Manchester United’s chances of getting the better of the Spanish giants in their highly anticipated Europa League knockout round tie.
The Reds, who last locked horns with the Spanish giants back in April 2019, face the Catalan outfit at the Camp Nou in the first-leg on Thursday evening, ahead of hosting them in the return-leg at Old Trafford next week. United finished second in their Europa League group, meaning they were forced into the unwanted play-off round, while Barcelona crashed out of the Champions League at the first hurdle.
The two clubs are among the favourites to go the full distance in the Europa League this season, meaning the winner of the tie’s chances of going all the way will be significantly boosted. United are desperate to end their trophy drought this season and the Europa League presents them with a realistic opportunity of doing so.
Although Erik ten Hag’s side will have to make do without Lisandro Martinez for the first-leg in Spain because of suspension, Casemiro is available for selection after sitting out the last two Premier League fixtures through a suspension of his own, meaning that will significantly bolster the Reds’ hopes of coming out on top. And Fred has named his fellow countryman, as well as Varane, as figures who could make all the difference, pointing to their knowledge of facing Barcelona from their days at Real Madrid.
Fred, speaking to United’s club website, said: “I think both, Rapha [Varane] and Case [Casemiro], [David] De Gea as well, have a lot of games against Barcelona. So, we have a lot of players that have good experience, so I think it can be a difference inside the pitch. Like I say, everyone will try our best to win this game.”
Though United will head into their two-legged clash with a spring in their step following a solid run of form in recent months, Barcelona are also in red-hot form themselves. They are unbeaten in each of their last 16 games in all competitions, dating back to a 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League in October, and have won their last 11 games on the spin.
“We expect it is a difficult game, everyone knows about Barcelona, we need [to be] careful, but it’s [the] Europa League, we need to win both games and we need to pass this phase,” Fred added. “Both teams are improving right now, constructing good things.
“So, I think the fans can expect a big game, both teams trying to play, both teams trying to score goals and I hope, in the end, we win.”
