FC Barcelona: Classic against Manchester United is coming up – these consequences would mean an end for Barça in the Europa League

Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo, Andreas Iniesta vs Ryan Giggs, Pep Guardiola vs Sir Alex Ferguson.

Hardly a duel in the recent past radiated more glamor than the classic between FC Barcelona and Manchester United.

The last duel between the two heavyweights was also not long ago. On April 16, 2019, Barça and the Red Devils met for the last time. At that time, the Catalans celebrated a clear 3-0 win in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals at their home Camp Nou (first leg 1-0 for Barça).

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Now, exactly three years and ten months later to the day, we are meeting for the 14th time at European level (Thursday, 6:45 p.m. in the live ticker). However, on a much smaller stage than was usually the case.

The two flagships don’t compete in the premier class – no, this time the intermediate round of the Europa League forms the framework for the new edition of the Champions League final from 2009 and 2011. A fact that the football fans of the continent are only beginning to understand have to get used to.

Barça and United are currently in top form

While Barça had to cope with relegation to the supposedly second-rate European business in the autumn of last year following only two wins from six games in the Champions League group phase, Manchester United did not even qualify for the current premier class season.

So it comes right in the round of the last 32 to the heavyweight cracker. That’s another reason why the hustle and bustle around the game isn’t nearly as big as it was a few years ago.

“Obviously you can never ignore a clash between these two big clubs, but due to the fact that it’s happening so early in the Europa League and both teams have other priorities, there’s less fanfare than usual,” explained Football expert Ibrahim Mustapha from Eurosport in London.

Pedri, Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres (from left/FC Barcelona) recently had every reason to celebrate

Fotocredit: Getty Images

Barça almost doomed to progress

From a sporting point of view, it should still be a treat. After all, no fewer than two of the most in-form teams in Europe meet. The FCB around coach Xavi have not lost for a whopping 16 competitive games and are now comfortably at the top of the Spanish league.

United have also had to admit defeat once this calendar year and, as third in the Premier League, still have a theoretical chance of winning the championship title. For the Red Devils, a triumph in the Europa League would still be a kind of bonus. Especially since they are in the League Cup final at national level and are still in the running in the FA Cup (round of 16).

In Barcelona, ​​on the other hand, things are completely different. The Catalans are almost doomed to progress following the disappointment in the premier class in the Europa League.

“Barça are obliged to do well in the Europa League to plug the economic hole left by their Champions League elimination, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Xavi chose his first guard for this game,” says Felix Martin of Eurosport in Madrid.

Robert Lewandowski

Fotocredit: Getty Images

Barça threatened financial disaster

In fact, the club lost a potential 53 million euros (winning bonus) due to the missed knockout phase in the premier class. According to Spanish media, those responsible were planning at least a place in the quarterfinals, which would have brought in almost 20 million euros.

For comparison: A triumph in the Europa League would generate around 19 million euros. However, the previous season showed that this is not a sure-fire success, when the Catalans had to bow out in the quarter-finals once morest eventual winner Eintracht Frankfurt (1-1, 2-3).

The financially troubled club might face a similar fate once morest Manchester United, which would be a worst-case scenario. “It would be a financial disaster for Barca considering how much they invested in signings over the summer,” said Eurosport expert Martin.

Expressed in figures, the Spanish leaders spent 153 million euros on Robert Lewandowski (45 million euros/FC Bayern), Raphinha (58 million/Leeds United) and Jules Koundé (50 million/FC Sevilla) alone.

Barça President Joan Laporta

Fotocredit: Getty Images

Barça boss Laporta causes a stir

Those transfers were only made possible by the sale of TV rights and the sale of shares in the production company Barça Studios totaling 865 million euros. A loan from Goldman Sachs in the amount of 525 million euros also allows the club to settle short-term debts.

“We can say that we have saved Barça from financial ruin,” President Joan Laporta announced at an extraordinary press conference on Thursday, emphasizing: “We have made some bold financial decisions and can now say that we have the debt under control have.”

In view of the fact that the debt burden, according to club information from August 2021, is around 1.35 billion euros, a very daring statement. Barça are also rumored to owe around €144m to other clubs from previous transfers.

In order not to aggravate the precarious situation further, there is actually no alternative to progressing in the classic once morest Manchester United.

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