UEL: Owen Hargreaves Hopes Man. Utd Avoids Barca In Knock-Out Stages

Former Bayern Munich midfielder Owen Hargreaves says he hopes Manchester United avoids facing Barcelona in the knockout stages of the Europa League.

Recall that the Red Devils needed to beat Real Sociedad with at least two goals to finish top of Group E but could score just once on Thursday night, thanks to Gamacho’s first-half strike.

This result means that Ajax, Juventus, and Barcelona are among the teams Manchester United could face in the play-off in February.

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These teams finished third in their various Champions League groups and would face the teams that came second from the Europa League.

However, in a chat with BT Sport, Hargreaves stated that facing Barca will be a tough test for Man United.

“I’m not like Scholesey, I hope they avoid Barca,” Hargreaves told BT Sport.

“Get Barca in the final, don’t want to play Barca because that could be a really hard game.

“But they’re all really good sides, good footballing sides, with good managers.”