Thursday's matchup between Barcelona and Manchester United, which has previously graced the Champions League final, has the relative dishonor of taking place in the Europa League play-off round.
The Catalans failed to go through the first round of Europe's top tournament, while Manchester United placed second in their Europa League group, which caused their paths to cross.
Despite the tie's lessened significance, both of the continent's greatest teams are on the rise and include the two fallen titans.
Barcelona and Manchester United are both growing under intriguing managers in Erik ten Hag and Xavi Hernandez, and both teams want to quickly reclaim their places among Europe's top.
The clubs' most recent meeting was in 2019 when Barcelona was set to enter a severe fall and United's terrible slump in the barren decade after Sir Alex Ferguson's rule was already well underway.
Champions League champions five times Barca defeated United 4-0 on the road in the quarterfinal match, but only goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen is expected to play against United at Camp Nou.
Since then, Barcelona has undergone a significant team renewal, and their summer expenditure increased the criticism they faced after being eliminated from the Europa League.
The Catalans acquired a potent striker in Robert Lewandowski, while Jules Kounde and Andreas Christensen have cemented their positions as essential members of the strongest defense in Europe.
Barcelona has kept 16 clean sheets from 21 games and has only let up seven goals in La Liga this season. Xavi's team has gone undefeated in 16 games overall.
The manager is restoring his team to their previous glory after playing for Barcelona in the 2009 and 2011 Champions League final triumphs against Ferguson's Red Devils.
In January, Barcelona defeated Real Madrid to win the Spanish Super Cup, and they will now play each other in the Copa del Rey semifinals.
He took over in November of the previous year and guided the group from the middle of the table to second place. Barcelona hasn't won La Liga since 2019, but on Sunday they increased their advantage over rival Real Madrid to 11 points.
Since Xavi joined the team more than a year ago, Ter Stegen said last week that “many things have changed, possibly including the attitude and the way we defend.”
“(Xavi) has a strategy; it may have taken longer than he anticipated, but you can see progress as time goes on. Our knowledge of what to do on the field has improved, which is essential for success.
Red Devils are ascending
Under head coach Erik ten Hag, Manchester United, who acquired Ajax's Antony and Lisandro Martinez as well as Real Madrid's Casemiro in the summer, have made significant strides.
After a rough start at Old Trafford, which included a 4-0 hammering by Brentford and a tense relationship with club superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, the Dutch coach has managed to turn things around.
After the Portuguese attacker left United during the World Cup, Ten Hag's team has won 16 of their past 17 games, including a 3-2 loss to Premier League leaders Arsenal.
With 13 goals in his previous 15 games, Ten Hag has assisted Marcus Rashford in finding his best form, and the squad has moved up to third place in the standings.
Even before his incredible run of form started in October, Rashford noted, “The boss is a delight to work with.”
In order to increase Manchester United's prospects of winning their first trophy since winning the Europa League in 2017, Ten Hag also led them into the EFL Cup final and the FA Cup fifth round.
The influence of Ten Hag was also appreciated by Bruno Fernandes, who has also returned to his best form.
The midfielder said, “You can see the vision of the manager is (imprinted) on the squad.
“Before, confidence was low, which led to uncertainty, but certainly, I believe this season's performance will be the most important factor. You become more certain.
Barcelona and Manchester United both enter with high spirits, but once they square off, one of them will be doomed to another painful European departure, setting their comeback back.
