5 reasons why Man United can qualify over Barca

Manchester United failed to get a result at home in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie against FC Barcelona as an own goal meant they fell 1-0 to their Catalan opponents meaning they’ve thrown away the advantage baton to Messi and Co.

Now, the English club have one more chance to provide a shocker to the whole world as they look to get a result at the Camp Nou. For Manchester United to qualify for the semifinal they have to get at Camp Nou and nothing but a win, even a draw will see them crash out and the fact that they lost 1-0 in the first leg means they have to score at least two goals along with the win to qualify.

A 2-1 win will do and its very much possible as we’ve seen lots of upsets and comebacks in the past. We provide you with five reasons why we believe Man United stand a chance of qualifying over Barcelona.

1. MAN UNITED ON THE COUNTER CAN SURPRISE BARCA

This is very interesting, Barcelona are more likely to dominate possession and go for the kill and Man United can use this to their advantage. They just have to suck up pressure like they did in some stages of the first leg but this time they have to improve in attack. They have fast players up front and can utilize Martial, Lingard and Rashford in playing Barcelona on the counter.

Barca are slow when defending and always find it difficult against teams who hit them on the counter, this could be Man United’s most dangerous weapon if they are to hurt Barca, they must make the pitch as large as possible for the host.

2. THE DE GEA FACTOR

The Spanish shot-stopper frustrated Antonio and Co. in Manchester United’s slim 2-1 win against West Ham at the weekend. He also was in hand to pull some great saves in the first leg at Old Trafford to prevent Barca from adding to their lead. This shows that it is a fact the goalkeeper is in a good form, he always seem to be and that’s why he’s regarded by many as the best goalkeeper in the world.

Manchester United will have to be defensively sound if they’re to get anything out of the game at Camp Nou and a David de Gea at his best will be very vital in achieving that. If he’s in top form, Messi and the others will definitely need something very special to get past him which will not be an easy task.

3. MAN UNITED’S ‘UNDERDOG’ TAG

A lot of people have already written Man United off, they believe the English side have no chance against the firepower of Messi and co, more so after a first leg defeat. Well, this can be of advantage to Man United. It is a surety that some sections of the Barcelona dressing room think this way and this complacency can be very fatal for the Spanish side as it was in last year’s quarterfinal loss against AS Roma.

Barca will play the game with the mindset of having a 1-0 advantage from the first leg while Man United will come into the game knowing they need a win, this will spur the Man United players into going for the kill and they will play knowing even a loss will not be surprising to the world. Man United will play with a freer mind and under less pressure compared to their opponents.

4. VALVERDE’S POSSIBLE TACTICAL SWITCH

Barcelona are known to be an attacking side and they’ve achieved greatness and a lot of accolades over the years because of this, but recently with the new coach Ernesto Valverde, Barca have been seen on numerous occasions opting to defend a lead instead of their traditional philosophy of trying to score more.

Valverde might decide to switch to a defensive tactic in order for his team to protect their one-goal lead but if Barca perhaps score one at home, they’re most likely going to play less attacking which will provide Man United more chance to go forward and try to get the equalizer, putting pressure on Barca. And who knows, maybe get a late second… The fact is that Barcelona need to be careful as Man United are a dangerous side.

5. THE GODS MIGHT JUST BE IN MAN UNITED’S FAVOUR

This one is definitely a funny one. Well, we’ve seen cases where a team dominate a game in all aspect except the scoreline, sometimes it’s like that… Sometimes the ball wouldn’t just go in for one team just like it wouldn’t for Barcelona against Chelsea in 2012 and Inter Milan in 2010.

This could be the case and it’s Man United’s best hope because if we come down to facts and logic, Man United qualifying is a very tough task and it will need something special. They can pray!!