Aheed Abrar
David de Gea looking forward to Manchester United vs Barcelona in Europa League play-offs
Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea is looking forward to the Red Devils taking on Barcelona in the Europa League. The 32-year-old hopes to get the better of the Blaugrana in February.
Unfortunately, the Old Trafford side finished second in Group E of the UEL. We finished behind Real Sociedad on goal difference. The La Liga outfit booked their place in the round of 16 by securing the top spot.
However, United have to play the Catalan giants to progress further in the competition. Xavi Hernandez’s team surprisingly finished third in their group in the Champions League and were relegated to the second tier of European club football.
Barcelona were in Group C of the UCL with the likes of Bayern Munich and Inter Milan. And considering their transfer business in the summer of 2022, the Blaugrana have underwhelmed in Europe.
However, while they did not perform well in the UCL, the Catalan giants are top of La Liga going into the World Cup break. Current European champions Real Madrid sit in second.
Speaking to the club’s official website, De Gea admits Barcelona are going to be a formidable opponent to get past. However, the Spaniard is relishing the challenge.
“We know Barcelona is a great team, I think they are playing well.
“If you want to win the Europa League, you have to play against the best teams and Barcelona is [one of these].
“It’s one for the fans and we will try our best to win both games.”
United have not had the best of records against the Blaugrana in recent times. We lost the 2009 and 2011 UCL finals to the Catalans. In the 2018/19 season, they beat us in the quarter-finals of the prestigious competition.
However, the Red Devils got the better of Barcelona in the UCL semi-finals in 2008. We proceeded to beat Chelsea on penalties in Moscow in the final to lift the trophy.
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Thus, fans will hope the Old Trafford side can make use of their experience of the UEL triumph in 2017 and beat the Catalans in the play-offs.
