Xavi Unhappy With Barcelona’s Europa League Draw As Catalans Set to Play Manchester United in Playoffs

• Xavi has cursed Barcelona’s luck, following the Europa League draw which paired them with English giants Manchester United
• Barcelona will square off with Erik ten Hag's men in the Europa League play-off round, looking to book a slot in the round of 16
• Barca dropped down to the Europa League after being knocked out of the Champions League group stage for a second consecutive season

Barcelona has a mountain to climb in the Europa League, after the Catalan giants were paired with English Premier League side Manchester United in the playoffs.

After a poor group stage in the Champions League, Barcelona dropped down to the Europa League and will square off against the Red Devils in February, in an effort to advance to the round of 16.

According to Daily Mirror, Barcelona manager Xavi has bemoaned the Catalans’ luck in the draws as he paid tribute to Manchester United ahead of the playoffs.

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"It is the most difficult opponent once again, but we will look forward to it. They are a historic side; they have grown a lot with the arrival of Ten Hag, they have great players. It's the worst draw we could have got. Once again, no luck."

Man United finished second behind Real Sociedad in the Europa League group stages, while Barcelona finished third behind Bayern Munich and Inter Milan in the Champions League.

Barcelona aim to prove point

Meanwhile, Barcelona will aim to prove to their supporters that they are still one of the best teams in Europe despite recent fortunes.

Despite good league performances, the Catalan giants have struggled in the Champions League and have hence dropped into the 2nd tier competition, The Peoples Person reports.

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A win against the Red Devils will calm the pressure on manager Xavi, as the Catalans look to rebuild under the former Blaugrana midfielder.

Xavi told to change staff

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has been told to change his technical staff, after the club's humiliating exit from the UEFA Champions League.

The Catalan giants suffered back-to-back elimination from Europe's top-tier club competition on the back of Inter Milan's 4-0 triumph against Viktoria Plzen.

The Blaugrana knew of their status before playing their penultimate group game against Bayern Munich, which ended in a humiliating 3-0 defeat at Camp Nou.