Manchester United will go in search of their first victory in Group C at the third attempt when they visit Oţelul Galaţi on matchday three.
The last time United failed to win either of their first two games in a UEFA Champions League group phase was in 1998/99 when they ended up lifting the trophy for the first time under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Then as now, they drew their opening two fixtures, including a 3-3 home draw with FC Barcelona – the same scoreline United had against FC Basel 1893 last time out.
As for Oţelul, the tournament newcomers continue their quest to claim their first points in the competition, having lost narrowly at Basel (1-2) and at home against SL Benfica (0-1).
After conceding four goals in their two fixtures so far, United will look to rediscover the defensive meanness they displayed on their travels last term – the eventual runners-up did not concede a single goal in 540 minutes of away action en route to the final.
This is Oţelul’s first encounter with a team from England while United have faced Romanian opposition only once before, beating FC Dinamo Bucureşti in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round in 2004/05.
Ryan Giggs scored United’s opening goal in a 2-1 first-leg win on 11 August 2004 at Bucharest’s old Lia Manoliu Stadium, on the same site that the new National Arena now stands. Darren Fletcher also played and, unlike Giggs, also featured in the return at Old Trafford where Alan Smith (2) and David Bellion’s goals secured a 3-1 victory.