Although they are only down 1-0, it’s going to take another near miracle for Manchester United to win at FC Barcelona, take the UEFA Champions League tie, and move on to the tournament semifinal. Barcelona have made the Camp Nou a fortress this season, losing at the venue only once in 2018-19. Hey, United pulled it off in the last round at Paris Saint-Germain, so anything can happen.
It was clear yesterday that both sides were looking ahead to this match, and quite distracted in their domestic fixtures on Saturday. Barca midfielder Arturo Vidal freely admitted it, while United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer implied it. Or at least one could infer that by reading in between the lines of what he had to say.
Let’s take a look at the fitness situation for both sides. United are hoping to bring ?midfielders Nemanja Matic and ?Ander Herrera, as well as forward Alexis Sanchez, back into the mix after the trio played no part in the 2-1 win over West Ham yesterday. The triad have all been battling injuries in recent weeks.
There is one confirmed absentee, left back Luke Shaw, who is suspended for this clash after picking up his third yellow card of the tournament during last week’s first leg at Old Trafford.
As for Barca, they welcomed the high-priced Ousmane Dembele back from a thigh injury in the goalless draw against Huesca on Saturday.
After 67 minutes of action, the French international could be poised for a first team assignment in this one.
Manchester United vs FC Barcelona (1-0 aggregate) UEFA Champions League Quarter-final FYIs
Kickoff- Tuesday Apr 16 Camp Nou 8pm
Starting XI Predictions- FC Barcelona Manchester United
Google Result Probability- FC Barcelona win 68%, Draw 20%, Manchester United win 12%
Referee- Felix Brych
Odds via BetFair- FC Barcelona 2/5, Draw 4/1, Manchester United win 15/2
Press conference video, quotes- coming Monday
Prediction- FC Barcelona 2, United 1
Having pretty much already locked up La Liga, Barca will be locked in on trying to win this competition, and that focus will be difficult for United to overcome.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.