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Manchester United and Barcelona are set to meet in their Europa League second leg clash at Old Trafford on Thursday.
The first leg was a hotly contested battle between the men of Xavi Hernández and Erik ten Hag, which ended in a 2-2 draw.
According to Sport journalist Jordi Gil, everything indicates that Xavi will play with four midfielders to take control of the midfield (via Sport).
This strategy will ensure that the Catalan giants can quickly stifle any United counter-attacks, which have proven deadly during transition.
A new starting eleven
Barcelona will jump onto the pitch without the injured Pedri and the suspended Gavi.
Instead, Sergi Roberto and Franck Kessié are expected to join the starting eleven to command the midfield alongside Sergio Busquets and Frenkie De Jong.
While Xavi may be without Pedri and Gavi, he will get a boost from the return of his captain. Busquets had previously been out with an ankle injury.
Gil writes that Sergi Roberto, Kessié and Busquets will start with De Jong, who will take on a similar role to Pedri in left midfield. By comparison, Kessié will probably operate more to the right flank.
Regarding the rest of the starting eleven, the only real questions revolve around Jules Koundé and Ronald Araújo.
The Uruguayan defender started in the first leg. Still, Marcus Rashford proved troublesome, forcing Xavi to switch things up at the back in the final 20 minutes.
On Thursday, Xavi could play with his usual formation in their most natural positions.
Keeping Rashford a secret
Rashford is a fit man and he can’t stop scoring. Despite this, Xavi is unable to set up his team to prevent Rashford from firing on all cylinders.
After all, Ten Hag has shown that he is a master tactician with contingency plans that Barca cannot anticipate.
youth on the bench
The Barcelona bank boasts many stars, including Casadó and Pablo Torre. The duo are the only natural midfielders available as substitutes.
Xavi has deployed Jordi Alba on the left flank in the past, which may be an option depending on how the game unfolds.
The absence of Ousmane Dembele is a blow for the Catalan giants. However, Xavi can still turn to Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres if he needs a fresh pair of legs up front.
Ten Hag Team
Ten Hag is likely to field a team with fewer changes than its Spanish counterpart. The suspended Lisandro Martínez is likely to return as center back.
This will allow Shaw to play his favorite position of left-back and will unfortunately push Malacia to the bench as a substitute.
The availability of Antony and Harry Maguire has also given United a boost. However, the trio of Anthony Martial, Christian Eriksen and Donny Van de Beek are not yet available.
Both teams have everything to play for. Fans around the world can look forward to a 90-minute football party featuring two of Europe’s giants.
