(Football news) Manchester United won this competition 18 months ago, providing Erik ten Hag with his first piece of silverware at the club, and they came into the tie on the back of a morale-boosting victory at the weekend.
After being thrashed 3-0 by rivals Liverpool before the international break, Manchester United desperately needed to respond when they got the Premier League weekend underway early on Saturday.
At St Mary’s, Manchester United duly obliged, but they were given a big scare in a slightly flattering 3-0 victory over Southampton.
Ten Hag’s side struggled to deal with the Saints’ wide players for the opening half hour, and Diogo Dalot’s rash challenge saw them concede a penalty.
Andre Onana proved his worth to the side though, saving from Cameron Archer, and Manchester United never looked back, as Matthijs de Ligt and Marcus Rashford scored quick-fire goals to put the visitors two-up at the break.
From there on out, Manchester United controlled proceedings, and a late third goal from Alejandro Garnacho after Southampton had gone down to 10 men added some gloss to the scoreline.
Attention now turns to cup matters, as the 2023 winners look to reach the fourth round – the stage where they were knocked out last season.
Newcastle United came to Old Trafford and beat Ten Hag’s men 3-0, and even though they would go on to win the FA Cup to make amends for that early elimination, a better performance this season is imperative.
While third-tier Barnsley should not strike much fear into the hosts, Manchester United have suffered five defeats to lower-league opposition in this competition since 2011.
That will give the visiting side belief, but they come into the encounter on the back of a potentially damaging defeat at the weekend.
After taking 10 points from their four league games prior, a 3-0 loss at Stevenage on Saturday was Barnsley’s first in the league since the opening day.
That means Darrell Clarke’s side have dropped out of the League One playoff places for the time being, but they are still well positioned after a respectable start.
With two defeats in the league, they are expected to suffer another here, especially considering their only other loss this season came against Manchester United’s Under-21s in the EFL Trophy.
In fairness, Barnsley were largely changed for that one, and Clarke has gone stronger in the EFL Cup, beating Wigan Athletic on penalties in round one, before an impressive win over Sheffield United in the previous round.
This will be a first meeting between the sides since Manchester United knocked Barnsley out of this competition at the last 16 stage in 2009, but the visitors have enjoyed success over their upcoming hosts in recent memory, beating them in the FA Cup back in 1998.
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