Europe UEFA Europa League, Knock-out round Play-Off 2nd Leg (23. February)

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Manchester United vs Barcelona Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Manchester United:
De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Sabitzer; Sancho, Fernandes, Rashford; Weghorst

Barcelona:
Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Alonso, Alba; De Jong, Busquets, Kessie; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Fati

Manchester United welcome Barcelona to Old Trafford on Thursday night as both teams are looking to progress further in the Europa League. They played out a 2:2 draw at Camp Nou last week, and a similarly interesting game can be expected at the Theatre of Dreams. The Catalans grabbed the opener when Marcos Alonso headed in at the back post from Raphinha's corner, but the Red Devils responded immediately through Marcus Rashford as he slipped in a finish at the near post. United showed their resilience to turn the match around as Rashford's cross was then turned into his own net by Jules Kounde. However, Barca managed to equalize in the 76th minute through Raphinha. The hosts almost snatched a late victory when Casemiro's attempted clearance struck his own post.

Manchester United should be satisfied with the final result from Camp Nou. They remained unbeaten and could be evaluated as favorites now. The main reason is they play at home. The Red Devills were very good on Sunday and won 3:0 against Leicester City in the Premier League. Once again, two whole attention was on Rashford as he scored a brace. The substitute Jadon Sancho also put his name on the scoresheet table. United are just three points behind second-placed Manchester City and five adrift of leaders Arsenal. The atmosphere in the squad is positive, while the players confidence is high. Lisandro Martinez and Marcel Sabitzer are back from suspension, but some players remain sidelined. Key creative Christian Eriksen continue his long-term recovery, as well as Donny van de Beek. Three players are rated as doubtful - Anthony Martial, Harry Maguire and Antony. If the latter fail to recovery in time, then Sancho or Alejandro Garnacho will deputize. Raphael Varane will probably start in the heart of the defense.

Barcelona are first in La Liga and they are main favorites for the title. They are also favorites to lift the trophy in Europa League. The actual form is good, they have eight wins and one draw on the last nine matches across all competitions. Xavi is doing an excellent job and the fans are satisfied. During the weekend Barca beat Cadiz 2:0 thanks to goals scored by Sergi Roberto and Robert Lewandowski. The away form is also good, the Catalans were successful on every match played on road in 2023. I believe the players confidence is high too. Just like his counterpart, Xavi also has some injury and suspension worries ahead of this match. Gavi is suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards, while Pedri sustained a hamstring injury and will also miss out. Ousmane Dembele remains sidelined through a thigh injury. On the positive note, Ronald Araujo is back from a domestic ban, while Sergio Busquets has recovered from an ankle injury. Most probably he will start together with Frenkie de Jong and Franck Kessie in the midfield.

Manchester United vs Barcelona Prediction:

Erik ten Hag turned Old Trafford into a fortress again. United are unbeaten on the last 15 home matches cross all competitions, recording 14 wins and just one draw. However, playing against Spanish opposition seems to be a problem - Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid won at the Theatre of Dreams in 2022. Barca will control the ball, no doubt about that, but Rashford and his teammates will have lot of space for fast counterattacks. I expect an interesting match with goals on both sides.

Manchester United vs Barcelona Pick: Both teams to score - Yes @ 1.64 with Pinnacle

 

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Roma vs Red Bull Salzburg Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Roma:
Patricio; Mancini, Smalling, Ibanez; Zalewski, Cristante, Matic, Spinazzola; Pellegrini, El Shaarawy, Belotti

Red Bull Salzburg:
Kohn; Dedic, Solet, Pavlovic, Ulmer; Capaldo, Gourna-Douath, Seiwald; Sucic; Okafor, Fernando

Roma host Red Bull Salzburg at Stadio Olimpico after the reverse fixture at Red Bull Arena last week ended 1:0 in favour of the Austrian champions. In the first half, neither side could pull out a win, but Nicolas Capaldo's spectacular strike in the 88th minute was enough for a narrow victory. Throughout the match, both sides created some chances, while their coaches made substitutions in an attempt to secure the victory. The Italian side hit the woodwork twice, missed a succession of big chances to be shocked in the finish of the match. One-goal is not a big advantage, but sometime means a lot.

Roma are in solid form at the moment. They have two wins and one draw on the last three matches in domestic Serie A. What is more important, the home form could be rated as good. On Sunday they beat Verona thanks to a goal scored by January signing Solbaken. The home advantage was important during the group stage too. Roma have found the back of the net seven times and that tally is outdone by only four sides in the competition. But coach Jose Mourinho face a forward crisis. Key striker Tammy Abraham is highly doubtful after suffering an eye injury against Verona. Paolo Dybala and Lorenzo Pellegrini are also injury doubts.

Red Bull Salzburg finished as third in the Champions League group stage. According to the experts, they were unfortunate to be drawn with the former European winners Chelsea and Milan. Despite going unbeaten in the opening four matches of the group, the Austrian outfit were unable to secure progress. Eliminating the Giallorossi is not an easy task, but a positive result from the first leg increased the players confidence. Coach Jaissle made some changes against WSG Tirol last weekend, but it is expected to start with the best here. Amar Dedic and Oumar Solet should return in defense, while Noah Okafor and Fernando is expected to lead the line. Maurits Kjaergaard impressed in Sunday's league win and could tempt Jaissle to include him in the starting eleven.

Roma vs Red Bull Salzburg Prediction:

I expect both teams to score at Olimpico. Roma play at home and they need a victory, so I expect a full offensive. Tammy Abraham and Paolo Dybala are injured, however Mourinho has other players able to score. Like Solbaken for example, as well as El Shaarawy and Belotti. Red Bull Salzburg are also able to score, they have netted in all but two competitive games this season.

Roma vs Red Bull Salzburg Pick: Both teams to score - Yes @ 2.07 with Pinnacle