Barcelona vs Man United – Betting Preview
The opening leg of the by far most glamorous Europa League knockout stage playoff matchup this year features Barcelona and Manchester United.
Due to Barca’s third-place finish in their Champions League group—behind Bayern Munich and Inter Milan—and United’s second-place finish in their Europa League group—behind Real Sociedad—both teams will now meet in the playoff round.
The match highlights the recent decline in both clubs’ fortunes, but this season has witnessed a domestic comeback for each club under Xavi and Erik ten Hag, respectively.
While United is in the League Cup final and third in the Premier League, Barca is enjoying a strong season at the top of La Liga.
Barcelona Preview
With eight straight victories across all competitions and a 16-game winning streak since their Champions League loss to Bayern Munich, Barcelona’s recent form has been simply outstanding.
They last went without a goal in the 3-0 loss at Camp Nou, and in seven of their subsequent games, Xavi’s club has seen both teams score.
This demonstrates their good defensive play, but competing in Europe has proven to be more difficult; in six games played in the Champions League this season, only one clean sheet was maintained, with both clubs scoring three goals in four of the games.
Man United Preview
Due to Manchester United’s 12 victories in 15 games since their World Cup return, this is actually a matchup of two of Europe’s top teams.
Unfortunately, their lone loss during that streak—a 3-1 loss at Arsenal—raises some concerns about how well they perform against elite opponents when they travel.
Barca will be troubled by their excellent offensive though, as the Red Devils have scored at least twice in six straight games, while both clubs have scored in six of their previous nine games, with six of those games including at least three goals.
1×2 Betting Odds
Let’s have a look at the odds in the 1×2 market for match result.
Given United’s absentees and Barca’s excellent home form, Xavi’s men might just take a slender lead to Old Trafford for the second leg, where it will be all to play for.
Barca to win at Camp Nou stands @ 1.86.
In this game, I believe both sides could score some goals, and it might be a tight one where United could take something home.
United to win and then head to Old Trafford with an advantage stands @ 4.85.
The market odds of a stalemate stands @ 4.15.
Total goals over/under
Let’s see what the over/under market has for us in this game
The odds that the total number of goals scored will be over 2.5, stands @ 1.82.
While the odds that the total number of goals will be under 2.5, stands @ 2.23.
Both these sides have players that can score goals and win you matches. so perhaps in this clash of equal giants, it could be individual brilliance that will separate the two sides!
