rior to the first leg of Manchester United’s Champions League quarter-final encounter against Bayern Munich, much of the talk revolved around the famous final of 1999, which the Red Devils claimed in dramatic circumstances. Sadly for Sir Alex’s Ferguson’s men, by the time it had turned 22:35 in Munich last week, the media were ruminating over a reverse showing.

Of course, Franck Ribery’s deflected free kick and Ivica Olic’s smart winner were not quite as late as the blows the English Premier League club gave to FCB over a decade ago, and neither were they quite as damaging. Bayern had no chance to bounce back in Barcelona; United have their opportunity for revenge to night.

A flat performance at the Allianz Arena from United was perhaps overshadowed a little by the ankle injury sustained by Wayne Rooney in the build-up to the decisive goal, but there can be few doubts about the repercussions that ‘Wazza’s’ injury may yet have on the Red Devils’ campaign. Out for around three weeks, the Old Trafford club missed their star’s cutting edge and sheer bullishness as they slumped 2-1 to Chelsea on Saturday in a vital league encounter.

Despite the weekend setback, club captain Gary Neville is relishing the prospect of tonight’s encounter and believes United have a good chance of overhauling their opponents. “Our ground is a difficult place to come to and we’ve got a good record at home this season,” he said, according to the club’s official website. “It’s a big game for us and we have to make sure we make things difficult for them.”

With a European pedigree only surpassed by Barcelona over the course of the last five years, there can be little doubt that the vastly experienced English side have every right to remain confident ahead of the test.

Like Manchester United, Bayern Munich had to tackle a vitally important league match at the weekend, but unlike the Red Devils, Louis van Gaal’s side dug deep to secure a 2-1 success against title rivals Schalke in trying circumstances. Reduced to 10 men, the Bavarians defended stoically; a fine dress rehearsal for the trial they are likely to be under this evening.

Dutch coach Van Gaal was delighted with the outcome. “We allowed them very few chances,” he beamed after the game. “We’ve scored two very good goals, so I’m extremely pleased. We knew it would be difficult after we went a man down, but we also knew Schalke would have problems taking the initiative. We closed down the space well, and fortunately that was enough.”

Boosting German confidence further is their fine record against their midweek opponents. United have been relatively regular foes for Die Roten in Europe, yet their record against the three-times European champions is remarkably strong. In eight previous meetings, the German giants have only been defeated once, and should they maintain that record over the course of the game, Van Gaal will lead his side into the semi-finals.