Manchester Utd v Barcelona – Betting Preview
Manchester United Summary
Manchester United welcome Barcelona in an excellent mood and very much on an upward curve this season.
They won yet again this weekend, ripping Leicester apart in the second half to put themselves back in the title race.
Manchester United see the Europa League as another chance to win important silverware this season. Until the first leg in Barcelona they had sent out weaker sides, but knowing the quality of this opponent, they are now treating this competition with more respect.
Manchester United are the only English team fighting on four fronts as they have a date with Newcastle in the league cup next weekend, so plenty of distractions.
It is probably fair to say this tournament is the least important for them of the four they are still involved with.
Manchester comes into the game with several important absences including Eriksen, Antony, and Martial, all of which would likely be starting in their best side.
It looks likely they send out the same side or close to it, which got the 2-2 draw in Barcelona.
On a positive note, McTominay is fit again and can return. Not a starter but a good player off the bench to bring bite and energy into the team.
Barcelona Summary
Barcelona come into the game knowing they need to avoid defeat in 90 minutes to have a chance of progressing to the next stage.
The domestic form is impeccable, spirits and confidence on the pitch are excellent. They understand and respect Manchester United even more so after they saw the difference between them and the kind of opponent they are used to in La Liga.
The Catalan giants are pulling away in the Spanish title race and for now, can put all their effort and energy into this second leg where they know they must be at their best to win and qualify.
Team news Is not great for Barcelona as Pedri has joined Dembele on the side-lines. And with Gavi out banned, the midfield for Barcelona is hugely weaker in terms of attacking threat, goal power and technical quality.
With a positive spin they will be more physical and aggressive looking with Kessie and De Jong sitting centrally, with the returning Busquets behind them.
The little Canarian player has a spark and quality about his play which gives goal threat and creativity, so it is a key absence. In the outfield he is rated in terms of importance, behind only Araujo and Lewandowski.
Betting Analysis
Looking at the 1×2 market first. The favourite for the game is Man Utd @ 2.35 to win. Barcelona is @ 3.00 to grab an away victory, while the draw is @ 3.55.
Moving onto the Asian handicap betting for this contest. Manchester Utd showed they should have the slight edge based on the first leg, but football can change and Barcelona may improve in the second game in England. Man United -0.25 is @ 2.02 while Barcelona is @ 1.84. My suspicion is that Barcelona will struggle to keep a clean sheet once more and Man Utd could win a high scoring game by the odd goal or two.
Looking at The Under/Over goal line last of all which looks interesting as it remains at 2.5. The first leg was one of the more exciting Europa games around and I expect the same, if not better here. Manchester is likely to score a couple of goals but Barcelona also can cause big problems. I expected the line at 3, so over 2.5 @ 1.85 is very appealing.
