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Xavi praises Erik ten Hag for “changing the face of Manchester United” and acknowledges Barcelona is concerned about Marcus Rashford’s threat.
Barcelona boss Xavi has lauded Erik ten Hag and Marcus Rashford ahead of his team’s Europa League match against Manchester United.
Barcelona and Manchester United meet in a high-profile match on Thursday, and both teams are in good form, with Barcelona leading La Liga by 11 points. Xavi’s team will face an improved United side, and he is impressed with the work his counterpart is doing at Old Trafford.
“Ten Hag has changed the face of the team. It’s been hard for them but they’re doing a great job. He is a great coach. Reversing the situation at United was not easy,” he told reporters. “He makes variants in attack and defence, they work very well. He is an attacking coach and he shows it in almost every game. He is a reference for coaches who like this kind of football.”
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Xavi also admitted his defenders will have to take particular care when they come up against in-form striker Rashford: “He’s one of the most dangerous forwards in Europe. He’s fast, he’s one-on-one and we’ll have to watch him a lot. He’s one of the best in Europe, without a doubt. We have assessed what they are doing. Rashford, [Alejandro] Garnacho, [Jadon] Sancho and [Wout] Weghorst might be a reference. The transitions are very quick.”
Since returning from the World Cup, Rashford has scored 13 goals in only 15 appearances and is in the best shape of his life. The striker will now face the toughest defence in the top five European leagues since Xavi’s team only allowed seven goals in 21 Liga games in 2022–23.
Rashford has 21 goals this season in all competitions, only scoring more goals in the 2019–20 season (22).
The two teams met at Camp Nou on Thursday for the first leg. The return will take place a week later at Old Trafford. The winners of the tie will progress to the last 16 of the Europa League.