On April 7th 1999, Manchester United played Juventus in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final in Old Trafford. Earlier that day, Danish businessmen Johnny Rune and Steen Hessell announced the creation of a new football team named FC Midtjylland. Tonight, the teams meet for the first time.
Midtjylland gained attention earlier this season when they knocked Southampton out of the Europa League and they will hope to do the same against Manchester United over the coming week. The Danish champions won the title for the first time last season, winning the Superliga by four points.
The side are seen are seen one of the leaders in analytics usage in the World. Their majority shareholder Matthew Benham, also owns Championship side Brentford, who reached the Play-Offs last season.
Benham made his millions, by selling a company that dealt in using maths models to predict results. Since he joined the Danish side in 2014, their chairman has called the transformation in Midtjylland's fortunes as "a fairytale".
The Wolves reached the knockout stages of the Europa League for the first time in their history after finishing second in Group D behind Napoli. Two wins from the opening two games against Club Brugge and Legia Warsaw, followed by a draw on the final matchday against the Belgians.
The main worry Midtjylland will take into the game, if their record against top-quality teams. In their two group games against Napoli, the lost 4-1 at home and 5-0 away.
Manchester United's visit to the MCH Arena is seen as the biggest game in Midtjylland's history. The stadium is already sold out ahead of the encounter. Whatever happens in the coming week, the season will have been one to remember.
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