Two fallen giants of European football face a test of reality on an unfamiliar stage

Barcelona and Manchester United resume their rivalry on a stage that doesn't do justice to their great history and legacy. However, it is a reality that they will have to get used to for now.

Barcelona vs Manchester United at the Camp Nou. As far as box-office matchups go in European football, this would be somewhere right at the top. After all, two Champions League finals in 2009 and 2011 saw a collision between these two European greats which marked a generation.

Except this time, they come face to face on a Thursday night. In the Europa League.

It is not the reality that either club wants to be living in given the rich heritage and storied legacy that they carry, but one that they will have to contend with in the moment. They share eight Champions League titles and 39 league titles between them while also claiming to be the stomping ground for some of the greatest footballers in the history of the game.

And yet, both sets of supporters live in the glories of the past more than the present. Manchester United haven’t won the Premier League since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure in 2013 while Barcelona have fallen off their European pedestal after consecutive humiliations at the hands of Roma, Liverpool, and Bayern Munich and are now living in the post-Lionel Messi era, which has seen them finishing trophyless in two of the last three seasons.

However, there’s a wind of change in the air as optimism has returned to both Camp Nou as well as the Old Trafford. At the forefront are their managers.

Xavi, who marked an era with both Barcelona and Spain and was one of the greatest midfielders to kick a ball, is leading an exciting new project with plenty of young faces in Catalonia. Meanwhile, Erik ten Hag, a serial winner with Ajax and a student of Cruyffian football, has helmed the project at United and is finally guiding the club in the right direction after years of wandering about aimlessly.

Barcelona are currently league leaders in La Liga and have an eight-point lead over arch-rivals Real Madrid. The fact that they have conceded only seven goals in the league despite playing 21 matches and having the best defence in Europe this season is also a far cry from the vulnerable image and reputation that they have come to be associated with in recent times. The Blaugrana also lifted the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia after defeating the reigning Spanish and European champions.

Manchester United, on the other hand, are third in the Premier League and five points behind league leaders Manchester City and Arsenal. Although they did suffer some heavy defeats, especially at the start of the season, they have now won 12 of their last 15 matches and have only lost once during that period. Ten Hag’s side have also defeated Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool at least once this season and have discovered a groove and consistency to their game.

Although the Europa League playoff tie really doesn’t do justice to the stature of the two teams as well as their recent revivals under two genius managers, it is a test that they have to deal with in order to assess how they compare against the European elite.

United manager Ten Hag has insisted that both sides are on their way back to a better place and although they do harbour the ambitions of Champions League glory, the Europa League tie could prove to be a major reset for both sides.

“It’s good [to meet],” the United manager said. “We both have the ambition to be in the Champions League and not just be there but really [have an] impact on the competition – get out the group, reach the semi-finals, the final, even win it. But the reality is that we are here.

“That tells you that both clubs need a reset. We are both going in the right direction and it is exciting to face each other because it will help us. You know where you are. It is a good test and from this test we can get better.”