Manchester United host Barcelona in a huge clash on Thursday night, and we've got a number of boosted markets for the tie.
Barcelona were slight favourites to progress prior to the first leg, but Manchester United's excellent performance in which they earned a 2-2 draw sees the Red Devils 4/6 to advance.
The hosts, while trying to navigate a manic fixture list, will have Casemiro available while Scott McTominay returned at the weekend to bolster the midfield ranks. On the other hand, Barcelona will be without Pedri and Gavi, and while Xavi was quick to remind people of the options they still have in midfield, the two youngsters will be a big miss that Erik ten Hag will be keen to exploit.
Last week, Xavi admitted Marcus Rashford was the player he was most wary of, but his side were still powerless to stop him, and few sides since the World Cup have figured it out.
Incredibly, the trip to Selhurst Park is the only Premier League game in which Rashford has failed to find the net since the World Cup, and he'll have plenty of backers to score first on Thursday, particularly with his price boosted from 9/2 to 5/1.
Bet Builder
Marcus Rashford - Over 1.5 Shots on Target in the Match
Match result will be Man Utd
Over 2 Goals in the Match
Was 13/2 >> Now 7/1
Whether he finds the net or not, Rashford's United's most potent attacker at the moment, registering 53 shots in his last 17 games at a rate of just over three a game, and 29 of those have been on target, at an average of 1.7 per game.
United are riding the crest of a wave and while there are still moments of vulnerability - such as the first minutes of each half at home to Leeds, and the first half hour against Leicester - they're also having regular spells where they blow sides away.
Cristiano Ronaldo presented Ten Hag with his biggest challenge to date, but in the 19 games since being ostracised from the club, United have scored an average of 2.4 goals per game, compared to the 1.5 they were averaging previously, and only at Crystal Palace and Wolves have they failed to score more than once.
There's little reason to think that Thursday night will be a drab affair, especially after last week's thriller with both sides surely going for the win.
Robert Lewandowski - Over 1.5 Shots on Target in the Match
Barcelona to Qualify
Both Teams to Score in the Match - Yes
Was 9/2 >> Now 5/1
But despite Barcelona's injuries, United do have a jam-packed fixture list. After Barcelona comes the EFL Cup final on Sunday, followed by an FA Cup tie with West Ham next Wednesday before the small matter of a trip to Anfield the following Sunday.
There'd be little respite should United qualify in the Europa League, as they'd have a last-16 clash the Thursday after. The number of games will surely catch up with Ten Hag's men sooner rather than later, but it's hard to see what comes bottom of his priority list with United still competing on all four fronts.
With the top four looking secure, it may be that the Europa League becomes an unwanted distraction, potentially adding another seven fixtures to United's calendar, and Barca could take advantage of that.
Should Barcelona qualify, they may well need two or more goals on the night with the hosts 1/5 to score at least once, and if they do, Robert Lewandowski will be of paramount importance.
We use cookies to deliver a better and more personalised service. For more information, see our Cookie Policy