The Last Danish Adventure Went Badly Wrong

Last time United opened the group stages of the Champions League with a 0-0 draw against Villarreal we could not get through to the second round. And the last time we visited Denmark we lost.

It is all so comforting to cite the glorious 1998/99 season and the almighty drubbings we handed out to Brondby twice. It was 6-2 to United on the Danish turf and some may believe that tomorrow's Champions League game will be a walkover again.

However, they should know that it is unlikely. I won't wheel out the old clichés that there are no easy games now and that kind of thing. What you've got to remember is the last time we faced a Danish team on their own ground.

It was FC Copehagen (Kobenhavn) in 2006 and with progression seemingly secured by three straight wins, Fergie opted to rotate the team a bit, freshen up some players who got little rest during a busy autumn which exceeded all our expectations.

The result? The changed team looked bereft of imagination and went down to a hard-working Copenhagen side due to a Marcus Allback goal. This and the defeat at Celtic two weeks later threatened to end our Champions League adventure prematurely once again...

As Fergie is all about match fitness and sharpness these days I hope that he won't try and field a reserve team... What better chance there is for Berbatov to open his account? Or for Anderson, for that matter? This is never gonna be easy, these guys will defend in numbers and won't be embarassed to park the bus in front of their own fans. We need maximum firepower and creativity as the first leg's disappointing result means that only a win will do here.

One things is certain: we can be happy that this game is BEFORE our potentially bruising encounter at Ewood Park, not AFTER it...

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