The highly-anticipated clash at Camp Nou between Manchester United-Barcelona finally took place on Thursday afternoon. The Europa League odds showed Manchester United as a hefty underdog coming into the match, but their recent stretch of solid play in the Premier League transferred over, and they were able to give Barcelona a run for their money before gutting out a 2-2 draw.
Manchester United is now right underneath Barcelona in the updated odds to win the Europa League. Check out the full Europa League odds below.
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Europa League Title Odds: Manchester United Draws Closer to Barcelona, Arsenal
Per DraftKings:
The rise of Manchester United is thanks in large part to striker Marcus Rashford and his transcendence into one of the top goal-scorers in the world. Rashford added another goal to even the score at one apiece in the second half, before giving Man U a brief 2-1 lead by forcing a Barcelona own goal during an impressive run up the right side of the pitch.
United boss Erik ten Hag was happy with how his team played in a hostile environment on Thursday but insisted his team should have been granted a penalty when up 2-1 in the second half. Ten Hag argued Barcelona defender Jules Koundé made illegal contact with Rashford in the penalty area.
“It was 2-1, a clear foul on Marcus Rashford and a penalty,” ten Hag said, per The Guardian. “If it’s in the box or just outside the box, it’s definitely a red card. I asked the referee: why? He said it was outside the box and it was no foul. The referee and the linesman were in a good position and if not there is the VAR. It’s not good. It’s a really bad decision. Maybe they were impressed by the pressure that Barcelona made but they can’t be at the highest level.”
Still, most Red Devils fans will be satisfied with the result in the Manchester United-Barcelona match on Thursday. The two teams will now play at Old Trafford next week, where Man U will have a golden opportunity to pull off the upset and advance over Barcelona.
Based on the latest Europa League odds, it's basically a toss-up now that Man U has worked a draw in the first leg of the series.
