22 February 2023 , 13:39
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Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag revealed that Harry Maguire and Antony are back in contention in what is a huge boost to the Red Devils ahead of Thursday evening’s clash with Barcelona.
The Catalan giants travel to Old Trafford on Thursday for the second-leg of their Europa League playoff tie. The winner of Thursday’s clash will progress to the round of 16 after the first leg of the Camp Nou finished 2-2 after another excellent display from Marcus Rashford.
Whilst still having some thinking to do over his starting XI, United boss Ten Hag confirmed that captain Maguire will return to the squad for the game alongside the Brazilian winger. The former was named on the bench at the Camp Nou but missed the 3-0 win over his former side Leicester with a knee injury.
Meanwhile, former Ajax star Antony has been out of action for a few weeks with a problem of his own. In less positive news however, French forward Anthony Martial remains out - something that led to Ten Hag hinting he's got a trick up his sleeve for the Catalans.
"There's still a training session to go but I expect Harry Maguire and Antony dos Santos [to be] available," Ten Hag said in his pre-match press conference. "Anthony Martial is not available.
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"He's back on the pitch but not in the team training, so we'll wait for that. What [will] we do differently? You will see tomorrow, on the pitch. We have an idea of course, but of course we can't tell [you] that now."
Harry Maguire is set to return to the Man Utd squad vs Barcelona (Getty Images)What starting XI do you think Man Utd should name against Barcelona? Share your thoughts in the comments below
In the meantime, the Red Devils can also call on the services of Brazilian midfielder Casemiro. The Brazilian midfielder served the last match of his suspension against Leicester.
Whilst there is positive news for the Red Devils, Barcelona boss Xavi has no such luxury.
The Catalan giants are without the services of midfield duo Gavi and Pedri - the pair serving suspension and recovering from injury respectively.
Despite that, Raphael Varane believes that match will still be hugely testing regardless of the team that takes to the pitch at Old Trafford. Speaking alongside Ten Hag, he said: “I don't know what Xavi is thinking. Obviously, Gavi and Pedri, great players.
“Their squad is so much depth, that they have players who can replace them and tomorrow it will be a very good team. If we want to win, we have to be at our best."
He added: "Obviously they are important absences. But Barcelona have a big squad. We have to be prepared to compete. They can bring players in who can come in. We have to play the same, or even better to qualify."