News

Erik ten Hag faces difficulty with Man Utd's squad to Barcelona

Erik ten Hag faces difficulty with Man Utd's squad to Barcelona

Coach Ten Hag had to scratch five stars, Antony, Martial, McTominay, Lisandro Martinez, and Marcel Sabitzer, from the Europa League playoff match against Barcelona for various reasons.

On February 17th, Man Utd vs Barcelona match will happen in the first leg of the Europa League playoff at Camp Nou. However, Coach Ten Hag is really struggling with personnel issues ahead of this match.

He cannot bring five stars to Catalonia for various reasons. Three players, Antony, Martial, and McTominay, are absent due to injuries. They missed the final practice before the team flew to Spain.

Meanwhile, Lisandro Martinez and Marcel Sabitzer could not participate due to suspension. Martinez received three yellow cards in the Europa League group stage. Similarly, Sabitzer also accumulated enough yellow cards while playing for Bayern Munich in the Champions League group stage.

In addition to the above cases, Man Utd also lacks the services of two long-term injured stars, Christian Eriksen and Donny van de Beek. As we can see, Coach Ten Hag has lost quite a few important stars. He had to find a way to cope when facing a very strong opponent.

The only consolation for Man Utd is that Casemiro is back. The Brazilian midfielder had to sit out in the last few Premier League matches due to a three-match suspension. However, this punishment does not apply when the Red Devils participate in the European Cup.

Although eliminated from the Champions League, Barcelona has played extremely well in La Liga this season. They are leading the table with 56 points, eight more than the second-placed Real Madrid. Therefore, Coach Ten Hag believes that Man Utd and Barcelona are worthy opponents of each other. It is the early final of the Europa League.

The Dutch coach shared: "I think both Man Utd and Barcelona prefer to face each other in the final. We hope to perform at the highest level.

I always admire Xavi when he was still a player. Now, sitting on the coach's bench, Xavi is also trying to bring the soul back. I really like the teams he leads, with beautiful attacking football. I think Xavi is going in the right direction. This will be a good game for Man Utd and Barcelona."

Man Utd's squad list for the match against Barcelona:

• Goalkeepers: David De Gea, Tom Heaton, Jack Butland.
• Defenders: Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Tyrell Malacia, Raphael Varane, Diogo Dalot, Luke Shaw, Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
• Midfielders: Bruno Fernandes, Fred, Casemiro, Facundo Pellistri, Zidane Iqbal, Kobbie Mainoo.
• Forwards: Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Wout Weghorst, Anthony Elanga, Alejandro Garnacho.

Keep following 2Sport to update the latest scores and news!