Greek football will once more have representation in the North West this evening when PAOK make the trip to face Manchester United in the Europa League.
The 20-time English Champions are no strangers to opposition from the Stoiximan Super League, with 12 meetings since a historic first in September 1991.
Much to his delight, Ruud van Nistelrooy will lead the side out under the Old Trafford lights for his third expedition as interim manager, and the Manchester faithful will be hoping for maximum points.
In what has been a regular occurrence during an abject campaign, the Reds have drawn all three European fixtures in the competition and occupy 22nd in the new-look 36-team format – albeit 24 will progress from the group stage.
Furthermore, United are winless in their previous six major European matches, drawing four and losing two, and have equalled their longest run without a continental win from 1980 to 1983. However, the club has never gone seven games without picking up a victory.
The legendary Dutchman will aim to avoid that particular record and pull on past experiences against Greek opposition – winning nine and suffering a solitary defeat from the 12 meetings.
Ahead of Thursday’s 8:00 pm BST start, the Theatre of Red has collected three meetings from the history books to whet the appetite.
A first outing as Champions
Following the heroics of Bryan Robson, Mark Hughes, Steve Bruce and the rest of the legendary 1991 Cup Winners’ Cup side that saw off Barcelona in Rotterdam, Sir Alex Ferguson’s men began the 1991-92 campaign as the competition kingpins.
A first-round trip to Greece was the test, with 5400 supporters jammed into Vyronas National Stadium to witness their beloved Athinaikos tackle the mighty Manchester United.
The Lordi tou Vyrona earned passage following a 5-1 aggregate defeat to Panathinaikos in the Greek Football Cup final and relished being the first side from their country to lock competitive horns with the famous Reds.
Astonishingly, the minnows held firm in their structure on the day and earned a memorable stalemate before making the trip to Old Trafford for the second leg three weeks later and again earning a scoreless draw during regulation time.
Fergie’s side eventually broke Greek hearts in extra time through Hughes and Brian McClair, sealing a hard-fought 2-0 aggregate victory against the visitors in what has been dubbed the most iconic moment in their 107-year history.
Champions League Quality
Two seasons after the historic treble of 1999, United were gunning to better the previous year’s run to the Quarter-Final of Europe’s Premier competition.
Having squeezed through the first group stage in second place after defeats against PSV Eindhoven and Anderlecht, Sir Alex’s side met Panathinaikos in the second group stage.
At the time, Prassini were 18-times league and cup champions of Greece and had qualified at the expense of Juventus and Hamburger SV – no easy feat for any continental side.
United earned a hard-fought 3-1 victory at Old Trafford thanks to a Paul Scholes brace in the final eight minutes before stealing a point in a 1-1 Athens draw thanks to a priceless injury-time equaliser from Scholsey.
Trifylli’s reputation was proven accurate as they battled an elite Manchester outfit for 180 minutes of memorable football.
Van Persie to the rescue
The 2013-14 campaign was a first without Ferguson in the dugout and a historically difficult period for his successor, David Moyes.
Following his move from Everton, the Scotsman endured three defeats in his opening six Premier League outings, with a third-round elimination from the FA Cup adding further salt to the wound.
Progression to the knockout phases of the Champions League offered a hint of something positive, and a last-16 meeting with Olympiacos presented an opportunity for further progression.
A partisan crowd of 29,815 witnessed the first Greek victory for their side against Manchester United, with a 2-0 February defeat adding to the domestic turmoil for Moyes.
However, anything is possible with players like Robin van Persie at your disposal, and the Dutchman hit a 51-minute hat-trick to seal a memorable comeback, breaking Thrylos hearts in the process.
The Stretford End will be hopeful for a continuation of the stellar home form against the Greeks, winning six consecutive fixtures by an aggregate scoreline of 20-1.
What do you think – will Manchester United get the job done against PAOK this evening?
Let us know in the comments or across our social channels.
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