Barcelona vs Manchester United

Match Preview: Barcelona vs Manchester United (16 Feb 2023, 17:45

Contributors: @MaccasValueBets & @ScottyThorn21

A huge clash between Barcelona and Manchester United will take place at the Camp Nou. Xavi's team is currently leading the way in La Liga and the club appears to be on the right trajectory after years of slipping standards. Barcelona dropped out of the Champions League in the groups stages and now find themselves with a tough test to advance in the Europa League.

Under the leadership of Erik Ten Hag, Manchester United have looked better this season. The Red Devils were in dire straits at the end of last season after the disastrous tenure of Ralf Ragnick. However, United don’t have the deepest squad and they are still competing in all competitions. They will be without Christian Eriksen, Antony, Lisandro Martinez, and Marcel Sabitzer for this massive test.

Our Selections

Wout Weghorst hasn’t appeared to be a significant goal threat since joining Manchester United. However, he was unlucky to have a late goal against Leeds ruled out for offside. Despite this, he is currently priced at 1.90 to have no shots on target in this game, which is longer odds than the 1.62 price offered by Kambi bookmakers.

Erik Ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, prefers to play Weghorst due to his other attributes, despite his lack of goal-scoring prowess. However, it is expected that Man United will not have an abundance of chances in tonight's game.

As shown below, Weghorst has very low xG and non-penalty xG for United.

Since joining Manchester United, Weghorst has played five Premier League games, managing just one shot on target. In addition, he was substituted early in 60% of those matches.

Best Bet: Weghorst Under 0.5 Shots On Target @ 1.90 (B365)

Barcelona’s matches in the Champions League this season averaged 37 tackles per game. Both of these sides have a number of direct attacking players who like to dribble with the ball so the opposition defenders should be busy; particularly in the wide areas.

Manchester United’s last five away matches in all competitions are averaging over 42 tackles per game. Fred is also likely to feature at the heart of the United midfield. The Brazilian is keen on getting stuck in and managed 10 tackles in his last match. His inclusion should further inflate tackles numbers.

This game could play out in a similar way to United’s recent league meeting with Arsenal. There was 42 tackles made in that fixture and I expect a similar approach from Ten Hag here.

Best Bet: Over 32.5 Tackles In The Match @ 1.80 (B365)

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