Barcelona will be hoping to avoid a disastrous season in Europe on Thursday.
Should Xavi Hernandez’s side be defeated by Manchester United at Old Trafford, they would have exited two European competitions at the first time of asking, having been knocked out of the Champions League in the group stages.
It will be far from easy for Barcelona to progress, as they face a side that have not at home since the beginning of September, and boast the most prolific player in Europe at present in Marcus Rashford.
The refereeing appointment could also be a bad omen for Barcelona, with Frenchman Clement Turpin appointment as the official in charge of Thursday’s fixture. He refereed Barca’s famous collapse against Roma in 2016, where the hosts overturned a 4-1 first leg defeat to progress on away goals winning 3-0.
Since then, Turpin has whistled two matches in which Barcelona have won, and the Blaugrana will hope that it is three in a row in Manchester on Thursday.