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Football

08th Dec 2015

Manchester United have only two survivors from the last time they went to Wolfsburg

Precious memories

Tom Victor

It is six years to the day since Manchester United last faced Wolfsburg away from home in the Champions League, and they could do with a repeat result.

United won 3-1 on that occasion, but only two members of the matchday squad of 18 are still at the club.

Michael Carrick was the only starter on that evening to still ply his trade at Old Trafford, and he is unlikely to reprise the 90 minutes at centre-back which he was forced into in that game.

Carrick struggled against Edin Dzeko back in 2009, and will be grateful not to be starting up against dangerous frontman Bas Dost.

carrick

The other player to feature in that victory, however, will not feature in the matchday squad for tonight’s crunch game, which United need to win to make sure they stay in Europe’s premier competition.

Last time, Antonio Valencia came on for the last 15 minutes and was on the pitch as Michael Owen (in for the rested Wayne Rooney) sealed victory with his only hat-trick in a United shirt.

But the Ecuadorian is currently sidelined until the new year, potentially forcing rookie Guillermo Varela into European action sooner than expected.

Here’s the full line-up from that day, complete with their current clubs:

Tomasz Kuszczak (Birmingham City)

Park Ji-Sung (Retired)

park

Michael Carrick (Manchester United)

Darren Fletcher (West Bromwich Albion)

Patrice Evra (Juventus)

Nani (Fenerbahce)

nani

Paul Scholes (Retired)

Darron Gibson (Everton)

Anderson (Internacional)

Danny Welbeck (Arsenal)

Michael Owen (Retired)

owen

Subs: Ben Foster (West Brom), Oliver Gill (Retired), Antonio Valencia (Manchester United), Magnus Wolff Eikrem (Malmo), Matty James (Leicester City), Gabriel Obertan (Newcastle United), Cameron Stewart (Doncaster Rovers, on loan from Ipswich Town)

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