The only member from Man united's 1999 champions League title winning clash against bayern, expects history to repeat itself in tonight's quarter-final
The only member from Man united's 1999 champions League title winning clash against bayern, expects history to repeat itself in tonight's quarter-final
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Then! Man U's Ryan Giggs (right) is challenged by Bayern Munich's Michael Tarnat during the 1999 Champions League final at the Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona. United won 2-1. pics/afp |
Memories will flood back for Ryan Giggs tonight. Although the 1999 Champions League was not won in Munich, the German city's famous Bayern were the victims of the most astonishing end to Europe's most prestigious club competition.
Injury-time goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ensured the night was carved into footballing folklore, and to Giggs it still feels like yesterday.
"I can't believe it's 11 years ago," said the veteran Welshman, who is the only survivor from United's last-minute win in 1999.
"It was one of the greatest nights of my life and for many fans too, this will bring back a lot of happy memories.
"We will settle for the same score as in 1999 too, but hopefully not leaving it as late as we did then."
That night remains the only time in seven encounters that United have beaten the German giants.
Yet on every occasion, the outcome has been close, including Bayern's quarter-final triumph in 2001, when they won both legs by a single goal.
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Now! The speed hasn't dwindled one bit in the present day Giggs |
"It is usually difficult against German sides, and against the top ones even more so. We have won the European Cup three times. They have won it on four occasions, so you are talking about two clubs with massive history; full of experience and full of great players so hopefully it's going to be a great spectacle."
Giggs expects it tonight to be different from 1999 because Bayern no longer have the same physical characteristics. They are now more reliant on the stealth of Frank Ribery and Dutchman Arjen Robben, who is rated as an extreme doubt anyway due to injury.
"The team we played against in 1999 was really powerful. It had strength all the way through," said Giggs.
"Now Bayern have a lot of trickery with Ribery and Robben, and some other individual matchwinners.
"But our European record in recent times has been good and if we play to the best of our ability we really fancy ourselves."
