Is Marcel Sabitzer suspended? Explaining why the Manchester United midfielder will not feature in the UEL first-leg clash against Barcelona
Manchester United midfielder Marcel Sabitzer will miss his side's UEFA Europa League playoff first-leg encounter with Barcelona due to suspension. The Austrian joined the Red Devils last month from Bayern Munich on loan until the end of the season.
He arrived as a direct replacement for Christian Eriksen, who has been ruled out until at least late April with a knee injury. Sabitzer has featured in three games so far at Old Trafford.
However, he will be unavailable for Manchester United's trip to the Nou Camp to face Barcelona on Thursday (February 16). The midfielder picked up a booking in Bayern's final UEFA Champions League group stage game against Inter Milan. It was the Austrian's third of the tournament, which would have ruled him out of the Bundesliga side's last 16 tie with PSG.
Per UEFA's website rule 52.03, yellow card suspensions are carried over from one competition to another. This means Sabitzer will be suspended for United's clash with Barcelona. He will be available for the Red Devils in their second leg at Old Trafford on Thursday (February 23). Despite playing in the Champions League with Bayern, players can feature in two European competitions for different teams.
Marcel Sabitzer vs. Leeds [match rank]:
100% tackles won [🥇]
13/13 final third passes [🥇]
2 interceptions [🥇]
The engine in midfield. 🚂 https://t.co/jOkfOyckhU
It is a bitter blow for Erik ten Hag's side, who are already dealing with Eriksen's injury. Alongside this, Scott McTominay has been sidelined with a muscular injury. The Scottish midfielder has not played for the side since their 3-2 defeat to Arsenal on January 22.
There is good news for Manchester United fans, as Casemiro will be available for the encounter with Barca. The Brazilian was suspended from domestic football after being sent off in a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on February 4. FA suspensions do not carry over to European football.
Ten Hag lauds Manchester United's Marcus Rashford ahead of Barcelona clash
Rashford has been in scintillating form this season, and he grabbed a vital opener in the Red Devils' 2-0 win over Leeds United on Sunday (February 12). The English striker was quiet by his standards. However, he came alive in the 80th minute to head home Luke Shaw's cross.
He has now scored 21 goals in 34 games across competitions and is one of Europe's most in-form frontmen. His manager was full of praise for the forward after his goalscoring performance in the victory against Leeds. He said (via the Daily Mail):
"He's definitely one of them (Best strikers in the world). I was convinced from the first moment, I was really excited to work with him. I thought I could get more out of him."
Ten Hag added:
"But he has so many skills and such high potential and there can be even more. When he works well he will score even more goals because he can score with his left foot, right foot and his head."
Bruno and Rashford 😂❤️ https://t.co/8J07aoF9VD
Ten Hag will be hoping Rashford can steer Manchester United to victory when they face Barcelona on Thursday. The Red Devils attacker is just two shy of Barca striker Robert Lewandowski's record of 23 goals in 26 games.