On several occasions, Xavi said that Barcelona is serious about targeting this competition trophy. even one of their strikers, Lewandowski, once said that he and his colleagues had the ambition to win the Europa League trophy. so it's clear that Xavi really cares about this competition trophy besides prioritizing winning the La Liga trophy.
I can't predict what will happen in the match between Barcelona vs Manchester United. because after all, this fight is a crucial match for both teams. plus, their coaches will compete tactics and strategies.
IMO from my point of view both coaches will focus on the midfield battle. why, because Barcelona have an advantage in their midfield over Manchester United. just relying on Casemiro, that's not enough, Ten Hag needs a tactic to counter the midfielder that Barcelona has.
This fight is a tactical war game. and if Xavi applies his formation like the El Clasico match, by relying on two Pivots and two attacking midfielders plus Dembele and placing Lewandowski as the sole striker. I'm pretty sure Man United will have a hard time facing Barcelona. however, we will find out later after this bout has taken place.
Well, that's mainly because it is the only acceptable result. Think about it this way, if they lost at semi finals of UCL, would anyone say anything about that? It would be fine and they wouldn't really be hated for losing there, but in europa? They need to either win it, or even losing at finals would be a bad situations, no matter what they do, unless they win it all, it will be a bad result for them.
This is why it's clear that they need to keep on improving and being better. United or Arsenal or any other team, no matter who they end up facing, they need to end up winning and that's an important distinction to make. I believe they are capable of winning, but being capable and being able to are different things.
I think the scenario is not like that, no team wants to lose and it doesn't matter what the competition is. Xavi is ambitious or has a mission to target trophies in this competition besides La Liga. win or lose, that is another matter. because, if in football it can be predicted according to mathematical calculations. then, any match will not be interesting anymore.
after Barcelona slipped from the UCL, Xavi learned a lot from his team's weaknesses and mistakes in implementing his strategy. In the second half of this season, Barcelona has developed quite well even though it has not shown a very solid form of play. fail or not, that is another matter for them. most importantly, Lewandowski and his team-mates will give their all.
As for United, IMO, Erik Ten Hag's squad has not yet reached the maximum level. maybe next season, United will appear much more solid than what they are currently showing. for Arsenal, this team is my favourite. they have a high fighting spirit, chemistry and bonding that are increasingly solid, their mentality is increasingly formed after playing match after match.
So far, the Gunners are still my favorite and whoever will play Arsenal later. The Gunners' young squad, will always be ready to face it.