Manchester United vs Barcelona
Manchester United against Barcelona. Two of the best supported clubs in the world are set to clash under the floodlights at the Theatre of Dreams.
It’s the tie of the round in the 2019 Champions League, and it will be watched by millions around the planet as the Red Devils try to match the genius of Lionel Messi and chums. These are the nights the fans love, and the drama is never far away. While Barcelona breezed through to the quarter finals Manchester United produced one of their stunning late fight backs to overturn big odds to see off Paris St Germain.
Can the Red Devils do it again?
Talking Points
Ole’s reality check
Since Manchester United’s stunning win in Paris a month ago it hasn’t been plain sailing for their new boss. Three defeats in four games, punctuated by a hard fought 2-1 win over Watford, has shown Ole Gunnar Solskjaer just how much work there is to do before the Red Devils can rejoin Europe’s very best.
Ernesto Valverde has said he’s wary of the Red Devils’ power, and it is the big men who have impressed so much for the hosts at the Theatre of Dreams recently. Chris Smalling has had his best season at centre back; he’ll have his work cut out to keep Messi and Luis Suarez quiet, but he’ll be helped by full back Luke Shaw who has also had his best year at Old Trafford.
Paul Pogba has been a new man since OGS arrived and has returned to the form which helped France win the World Cup in Russia, so much so that Real Madrid are reported to be interested in the midfielder.
But the Barca boss will be aware of the pace of Marcus Rashford, the Red Devils’ biggest goal threat.
The Red Devils seem to have gone off the boil a little, but it would be very unwise to underestimate them on a night like this.
Ernesto’s big chance
With the La Liga title all but wrapped up, after Barca beat Atletico Madrid to go 11 points clear, the visitors come into this game with 100 per cent focus on European glory. The latest SBOBET Champions League odds pitch Ernesto Valverde’s team as third favourites at 4.15, grouped with Juventus at 4.00 and Manchester City at 3.25.
The big Champions League 2019 news of the last round was the surprise exits of European giants FC Bayern, Real Madrid and PSG, while Barca made it safely through with a thumping 5-1 victory over Lyon. So the tournament has opened up nicely for the Catalans.
Resting big players in a recent match against Villarreal almost backfired as Valverde had to bring Messi on to save a point, after the Blaugrana found itself 4-2 down to the La Liga strugglers with minutes remaining. But his main men, Messi and Luis Suarez were on target again to see off Los Rojiblancos last weekend.
And Barca might be boosted by the return of Ousmane Dembele to their squad, the Frenchman has been out with a thigh strain for three weeks but was back in training in the run up to the game.
History
Barcelona and the Champions League have heartfelt resonance for Manchester United fans. It was in the Camp Nou back in 1999 where Solskjaer wrote himself into Old Trafford folklore scoring a late, late goal to lift the trophy. That was the second of the Red Devils three wins in the competition.
The head-to-head victories have been shared, with four wins each and one draw since 2003, Barca winning the last meeting in the Champions League, in the 2011 final, running out convincing 3-1 victors at Wembley Stadium with Messi putting on a man-of-the match master class. That was the fourth of Barca’s five triumphs, the last coming in 2015 with a final win over Juventus.
Valverde’s team arrives in Manchester in better form than their hosts, unbeaten in 16 games, eight of which have been away from home. And they have won five of the last six, scoring 20 goals in the process.
Betting Tip
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Manchester United vs Barcelona | Half Time Full Time Away-Away @ 2.84 |
| April 11 03:00 (GMT+8) |
When it comes down to which side will qualify for the semi-finals, the Manchester United vs Barcelona betting odds are very much in the Catalans’ favour at 1.31 to progress, with the Red Devils at 3.43. But the tie at Old Trafford is a much more even prospect, with the hosts at 3.50 to take a lead to Barcelona, while the Blaugrana is available at 2.07 and the draw is 3.30.
Momentum seems to be with the visitors at the moment and with Messi in magical form, I suspect they will have too much for their hosts and lead from the front.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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