Five reasons why Manchester United can beat Barcelona in Europa League fixture

Manchester United will have ambitions of pulling off a famous victory over Barcelona when the two sides meet in the second leg of their Europa League play-off at Old Trafford on Thursday evening.

United, who last beat the Spanish giants back in 2008, will fancy their chances of progressing to the last-16 of the competition following last Thursday's 2-2 draw in the Camp Nou.

Raphinha's 76th-minute equaliser earned Barcelona a draw, after Marcus Rashford had scored and then played a key hand to force a Jules Kounde own-goal to turn the game on its head after Marcos Alonso's opener five minutes after half-time. It means the Reds are in a strong position to get the job done and keep their European dream for this season alive.

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Ahead of the second meeting between the two European giants, MEN Sport has taken a close look at five reasons why United should be confident about getting the job done:

Old Trafford form

There cannot possibly be many grounds that an opponent would fear visiting more than Old Trafford at this moment in time. United have turned their home ground back into the fortress it was always renowned as being, using it as the bedrock for their improvements under Ten Hag this season.

Sunday's 3-0 win over Leicester City marked a 14th win in their last 15 matches at Old Trafford, highlighting just how much of a fortress it has become again. Leeds United are the only side to have stopped United winning on their own patch since October 16.

The Reds have lost just three of their 21 matches on home soil in all competitions this season, highlighting just how difficult it has been for teams to come and get the better of United. Ten Hag, at the