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Football fans witnessed a nail-biting Europa League encounter between Barcelona and Manchester United last Thursday. The match ended in a 2-2 draw as both teams had plenty of chances in front of goal.
Barca opened the scoring with Marcos Alonso's towering header from a corner. Manchester United equalized within two minutes after Marcus Rashford scored a phenomenal goal from an extremely tight angle.
Jules Kounde scored an own goal in the 59th minute followed by Raphinha's lucky goal. Barca had many chances afterward but failed to capitalize on them and one of the most entertaining matches of the season ended in a draw.
Manchester United will be the happier side going into the second leg, although Barcelona will fancy their chances at Old Trafford.
On that note, here's a look at some important factors ahead of the crucial showdown:
Barcelona's current run of form
Barca secured a Champions League spot for the 2022-23 season but yet again failed to qualify for the Round of 16 and ended up in the Europa League. The Spanish giants signed the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, Franck Kessie, and Raphinha in the hope of regaining their past glory, but things haven't gone as expected, at least in Europe.
This is the first time this century that Barcelona have played in the Europa League for two consecutive seasons. The season didn't start well for them as they crashed out of the Champions League group stage and ended up in the Europa League. On the domestic front, however, it looks like the tide is turning. Under head coach Xavi Hernandez, they currently sit at the top of the La Liga table, eight points clear of second-placed Real Madrid.
Exquisite displays from the defenders
The Blaugrana have conceded just seven goals in 22 La Liga games this season (including 17 clean sheets). This indicates that they have improved drastically over the past couple of months. Their defensive record in Europe hasn't been as good though as they have conceded 14 goals in seven matches.
Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo, and Jules Kounde have all been phenomenal this season. The biggest reason behind Barca's current success, however, is their German goalkeeper, Marc-Andre ter Stegen. He has found his form again this season and has saved his team on countless occasions.
Marc-André ter Stegen's stats 2022-23
| Competition | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total 22/23: | 31 | - | - | - | - | 22 | 18 | 2.820' | |
  | LaLiga | 22 | - | - | - | - | 7 | 17 | 1.980' |
 | Champions League | 5 | - | - | - | - | 10 | - | 450' |
 | Supercopa | 2 | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | 210' |
 | Europa League | 1 | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | 90' |
 | Copa del Rey | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 90 |
The biggest hurdle Xavi is facing right now is the absence of the young duo of Pedri and Gavi. Pedri is currently injured while Gavi is suspended after receiving a yellow card in the first leg of his side's Round of 32 Europa League match.
Gavi brings intensity to the game and Pedri helps his team by controlling things with his peerless creativity and ideas. Both will be absent from the match on Thursday.
Sergio Busquets didn't play in the first leg against Manchester United due to an injury but has returned to the squad, which will be a huge relief for Xavi.
What does Barcelona have to do to beat Manchester United?
Barcelona surely have what it takes to beat any team in the world. The absence of their star midfield duo, however, has made the Red Devils favorites to proceed to the next stage of the Europa League.
Marcus Rashford is in red-hot form at the moment. Ter Stegen will have to play the game of his life in order to keep his side in the competition. United are playing smooth football at the moment and their defense is strong as well. Lewandowski failed to impress in the first leg but has the quality to quickly turn things around.
Frenkie de Jong and Busquets will have plenty of responsibility on their shoulders. They will have to control the tempo and make line-breaking passes and movements to aid their star-studded attackers. Both Raphinha and Ferran Torres are in great form at the moment but it looks like Xavi will opt for Raphinha as he is the more consistent of the two.
Winning at Old Trafford is never easy, especially against an in-form Manchester United. We could be in for a one-sided affair this time around due to crucial absentees from Barcelona's squad. Football, however, is an unpredictable sport; never write a club like Barcelona off.
