In just under eight hours, Manchester United will be lining up at Old Trafford, ready to take on a former foe, with their eight head-to-head matches resulting in 30 goals.
United will need to be considerably better than they have been in recent weeks if they are to get anything from Roma tonight. The Italian side arrive in Manchester in impressive form, having lost just once in their last 12 matches in all competitions: a remarkable 4-3 defeat at home to Real Madrid. Seven wins and four draws have helped them climb to third in Serie A.
Donyell Malen has been bagging goals for fun. The former Aston Villa striker has taken to life in Italy, netting 11 goals this season in just 12 games.
United, on the other hand, have had their worst start of a season since 1986, sitting on just seven points in the Premier League from eight games.
There is, however, one rather curious piece of history United can cling to. In just three days, it will be 40 years since Sir Alex Ferguson was appointed manager of Manchester United. His arrival in the north-west of England did not immediately herald a period of unprecedented success. In fact, his early years were famously turbulent, with his position coming under considerable scrutiny before the eventual transformation of the club.
United fans will be hoping that somewhere in the history of his appointment, a little bit of magic will rub off on the current squad, which is devoid of motivation, innovation, and inspiration.
Manchester United 7-1 Roma
The first meeting between Manchester United and Roma came in the 2006/07 Champions League quarter-finals. Ferguson's side travelled to the Italian capital for the first leg in April 2007, but returned to England with plenty of work to do after suffering a 2-1 defeat.
The second leg, however, would be a goal-fueled bonanza, in one of the biggest modern-day victories in Europe.
United produced a breathtaking display, running rings around the Roma players as they went three up within the first 20 minutes, with goals from current manager Michael Carrick, Alan Smith, and Wayne Rooney.
Cristiano Ronaldo added a fourth just before half-time before scoring again shortly after the interval. Carrick completed his brace with a stunning long-range effort, while Patrice Evra added a seventh to round off an extraordinary evening.
Danielle De Rossi would add a consolation for Roma, but it did little to numb the pain of what remains their joint third-worst ever defeat.
United Continue Their Dominance
The following season would see United and Roma reunited again, this time coming face to face on four occasions within the Champions League.
The first two would come in the group stage. The pair were drawn into Group F—alongside Sporting Clube de Portugal and Dynamo Kyiv—in which they would both end up progressing.
These fixtures would end up being significantly duller affairs in terms of scoring: United secured a narrow 1-0 victory at Old Trafford, with Wayne Rooney finding the net, before the sides played out a 1-1 draw in Rome.
As the two sides progressed through the European competition, they would find themselves meeting in the quarter-finals, with a semi-final matchup against Barcelona awaiting them.
Once again, Ferguson would get the better of Luciano Spalletti. A familiar combination of Rooney and Ronaldo proved decisive, with the pair finding the net to secure a commanding 2-0 victory at the Stadio Olimpico. In the return leg, it was the third member of United's attacking triumvirate, Carlos Tevez, who made the difference. His solitary goal at Old Trafford was enough to break the deadlock and seal a 3-0 aggregate victory for the Red Devils.
United would go on to lift their third, and for now their final, Champions League title, beating Barcelona 1-0 across two legs, before a famous night of penalties followed in Moscow, as United won in an all-English final against Chelsea.
The Goalfest Returns
It would take another 13 years for the clubs to meet again, this time in the 2020/21 Europa League semi-finals.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's United entered the tie hoping to reach their first European final under the Norwegian, while Roma were looking to book their place in a major continental final.
The first leg at Old Trafford was another extraordinary encounter. United found themselves 2-1 behind at half-time, with Lorenzo Pellegrini and Edin Dzeko overturning Bruno Fernandes' opener.
However, United ran riot in the second half, scoring five times; for the second time in history, United and Roma came to together to have a match reach eight goals.
Edinson Cavani struck the back of the net twice, Fernandes added his second from the penalty spot, while Paul Pogba and Mason Greenwood also found the net in a commanding 6-2 victory.
The second leg would see Roma win their first match against United since the first meeting in 2007, but a 3-2 victory was not enough to cut their losses in the first leg, as a double from Cavani saw him equal Rooney as the joint-highest scorer in the fixture with four goals.
This time, however, United would not go on to lift the trophy. Instead, they suffered a heartbreaking defeat in a remarkable penalty shootout, with Villarreal converting all 11 of their attempts before United goalkeeper David De Gea saw his effort saved, handing the Spanish side the Europa League title.
Add us as a preferred source on Google