UEFA Europa League: FC Barcelona and Sevilla both in action on Thursday night

• FC Barcelona and Sevilla are both in Europa League action.
• Barcelona hosting Manchester United at home.
• Barcelona will be without Ousmane Dembele and Sergio Busquets.

FC Barcelona and Sevilla are both in Europa League action on Thursday night after their failures in the Champions League before Christmas. Barca hosts an energetic Manchester United at home, while Sevilla hosts PSV Eindhoven at the Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.

Barcelona, who is currently in first place in La Liga and is on a roll after winning their past 11 games overall, will take on Manchester United, who has been improving under coach Erik ten Hag.

United presently sits in third place in the Premier League, seven points ahead of fifth-place Tottenham Hotspurs and only two points behind neighbours Manchester City.

For the journey to the Camp Nou Stadium, Ten Hag has a lengthy injury list that includes the absence of numerous important players. Christian Eriksen will be sidelined until April due to an ankle injury, while Brazilian winger Anthony, midfielder Scott McTominay, and Anthony Martial all have muscular issues. Christian Eriksen will also be sidelined until April.

Marcel Sabitzer and Lisandro Martinez, who came in January to fill in for Eriksen, are both suspended in the meanwhile.

Casemiro will be welcomed back by the team in midfield, where he will once more come up against the rivals he caused so many issues for at Real Madrid.

Due to injuries, Barcelona will be without Ousmane Dembele and Sergio Busquets. It will be intriguing to see if Ansu Fati makes the starting lineup after concerns about his future grew after he was a benchwarmer against Villarreal over the weekend.

With three victories in their last four league games, Sevilla has improved from the beginning of the season, moving up to 12th in La Liga and out of the relegation zone.

Bryan Gil’s return on loan from Tottenham, along with midfielder Fernando’s return to form and the fact that Youssef En-Nesyri has returned from the World Cup rejuvenated, has given Sevilla a more optimistic outlook. However, they are still only four points clear of the relegation zone, and coach Jorge Sampaoli may choose to rotate his team ahead of a crucial trip to play Rayo Vallecano this coming weekend.

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