The two exciting background storylines at play as Man United visit Barcelona

Manchester United will face Barcelona at the Nou Camp in the Europa League knockout round play-off on Thursday evening.

The last time these two sides met was in the quarter-final of the 2018/19 Champions League, with the Spanish side coming out as victors, winning both legs of the tie.

In recent years, things have drastically changed. Manchester United and Barcelona are not playing in the continent’s top-tier competition. However, both are on their way back to the top under the guidance of their new managers.

United are enjoying a solid season under Erik ten Hag so far. The Dutchman brought back the buzz around the club and the players seem to buy into his footballing philosophy. Not only good on the eye, Ten Hag’s style of play has also brought wins against rivals such as Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester City earlier in the season.

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United also have a Carabao Cup final against Newcastle coming up in a few days. This is a clear sign of their progress.

Meanwhile, Barcelona are cruising after a difficult start to the campaign. A couple of losses against Inter Milan in the Champions League group stage saw them demoted to the Europa League, but they have been in electric form ever since.

With as many as seven new signings arriving last summer, it was always going to take time for Xavi to make his team gel and play the ‘Barça way’. They are currently on an eleven-game winning streak in all competitions, notably beating arch-rivals Real Madrid in the final of the Supercopa de España.

The Europa League winners will clinch a spot in next season’s Champions League – but with Barcelona being eleven points clear in La Liga and United seven points clear of fifth place in the Premier League, there might be other exciting narratives at play.

One of them is the prospect of United facing their number one transfer target last summer Frenkie de Jong. The Dutch midfielder was seen as the potential cornerstone for Ten Hag’s project at United, as they spent months chasing his signature. Both clubs reportedly found a broad agreement for a deal but De Jong did not seem to be keen on the move. with the deal ultimately collapsing. On Thursday, Ten Hag has the chance to show the midfielder what he is missing out on.

Another exciting storyline is Raphaël Varane and Casemiro returning to Nou Camp with a team (likely) wearing white for the fixture. Both players know exactly what it is like to play against Barcelona having played in nine ‘El Clasico’ fixtures together. The two of them have the experience to lead United’s new-look squad into battle.

The exact degree of importance of this game can only be known by both managers and their respective players. With both teams in such fine form, the match on Thursday promises to be a fantastic one. Two European heavyweights trying to defeat one another, just like the old days.

Manchester United will be happy to welcome back Casemiro to the starting XI after the Brazilian was handed a three game ban due to violent conduct during United’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace – he has missed United’s last two Premier League games against Leeds United, and will remain suspended for the weekend’s clash against Leicester City.

Ten Hag will be without Lisandro Martinez as his squad travel to Spain since the central defender was handed a one-match ban after the final group stage game due to yellow card accumulation.

Luke Shaw recently filled in at centre-back during Sunday’s Premier League victory, and could partner up with Varane at the heart of defence at the Nou Camp.

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Despite United having a generally poor record when playing in Spain, their last fixture in the country resulted in a victory against Real Sociedad, with Alejandro Garnacho’s 17th minute goal – which was his first for the club – sealing a 1-0 victory for the Reds.

Unfortunately, this win was not enough to grab United top spot in the Europa League group, hence why they have to play this extra knock-out round against the Champions League felled Barcelona in order to qualify for the round of 16.