Manchester United received a nightmare draw for the Europa League knockout playoff match on Monday.
United’s failure to win Group E has pitted them against a team relegated to the competition from the Champions League and Barcelona finished third behind Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.
The last time Manchester United went to Barcelona was in April 2019 as Lionel Messi inspired the Catalans to a 3-0 win in the Champions League quarter-final second-leg, winning 4-0 on aggregate.
The ties will be played on February 16 and 23, with the first leg to be played at Camp Nou. United’s Premier League fixtures at home to Leicester and Brentford on the weekends of February 18 and 25 are both expected to be moved to the Sunday slots.
United’s draw is particularly fascinating after their fruitless pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong in the summer.
Former United manager Jose Mourinho’s Roma side will play FC Salzburg, while Juventus face Nantes.
Europa League play-off draw:
Barcelona vs Man United
Juventus vs Nantes
Sporting Lisbon vs FC Midtjylland
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Rennes
Ajax vs Union Berlin
Bayer Leverkusen vs Monaco
Sevilla vs PSV
RB Salzburg vs Roma