Old Trafford's 200 European matches
Old Trafford is no stranger to hosting big European nights, clocking 200 games and counting across four competitions.
As we warm up for another European adventure, kicking off in M16 this season when Manchester United welcome FC Twente in the Europa League, we take a look back at those historic 200 games at the Theatre of Dreams.
It's a journey that began in 1957 in the European Cup against Real Madrid, and takes us right through to the visit of Bayern Munich at the end of last year.
Twente, Rangers, PAOK and Bodo/Glimt are the confirmed quartet to add to that history this term, and they may fear a tough night based on our history in Europe at Old Trafford.
That game against Real, which announced Old Trafford to the European football scene, after being forced to use Maine Road in the earlier rounds, ushered in the beginning of an undefeated record for the Reds at home in continental football.
From that clash against the Spanish giants, with a second-half comeback from Tommy Taylor and Bobby Charlton ensuring we escaped on the night with a 2-2 draw [losing 5-3 on aggregate], United would not face a European loss at home until October 1996, a narrow 1-0 defeat to Fenerbahce.
In the European Cup alone, following that Madrid draw, the Reds put together a perfect home record of 17 consecutive wins in the competition, beating the likes of Real Madrid, AC Milan and Benfica during the run.
That competition also boasts United's biggest-ever Old Trafford wins in European games; a 6-0 win against HJK Helsinki in 1965, a 7-1 victory over Waterford in 1968 and, most recently, another 7-1 triumph against Roma in 2007. Of course, our first home match ever in the European Cup was the record 10-0 triumph over Anderlecht at Maine Road.
Across the full 200 European fixtures played at the Theatre of Dreams, the Reds have picked up 135 wins, drawn 44 times and only lost 21 times in our storied history with the continental game.
Those games have seen us score 441 times, starting with centre-forward Taylor's 62nd minute strike against Real in 1957 and, most recently, including Harry Maguire's winner against FC Copenhagen in October 2023.
Having netted an average of over two goals a game in our home European ties, it's impressive that we have managed to restrict opponents to just 159 goals when visiting M16.
Classics also include ties in the European Cup Winners' Cup, including the famous 3-0 victory over Diego Maradona's Barcelona in 1984.
Meanwhile, our home record in the Europa League is arguably even stronger than the European Cup.
In the 41 games that have been held at Old Trafford in that competition so far, we've claimed 26 wins, 12 draws and suffered just three losses. Erik ten Hag's side will hope that the 2024/25 instalment will boost that record even further.
The tournament's story at the Theatre of Dreams began back in 1964, when named the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, with a comprehensive 6-1 win over Swedish side Djurgardens, thanks to goals from our famed Holy Trinity: Denis Law (3), Charlton (2) and George Best.
Our most recent outing, in the 2022/23 season, saw a Marcel Sabitzer brace earn a draw with Spanish outfit Sevilla. It was in that same iteration of the competition, which was formerly known as the UEFA Cup, that saw us claim wins against Omonia Nicosia, Sheriff Tiraspol, Barcelona and Real Betis.
Hosting 200 home appearances on the same turf in European competitions is an honour held by very few stadiums on the continent, and is a perfect illustration of our wealth of experience in these echelons of the game.
Our last European trophy came in the 2016/17 season in the Europa League; a campaign that saw seven games held at Old Trafford, six of which were wins, with the other a draw.
The Reds will be looking to replicate that form this term, on the hunt for more continental silverware to add to our collection, starting with Old Trafford's 201st European fixture against Twente, the manager's former club.