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| Louis van Gaal's Man Utd were knocked out of the Champions League by Wolfsburg |
MANCHESTER UNITED'S fall from grace as a European force was brought into even sharper focus when they were paired with little-known Midtjylland in the Europa League.
Only four years ago, United faced Barcelona in the Champions League final at Wembley. Now they face a trip to Denmark in February for a last-32 tie in European football's much-maligned 'plate' competition.
Midtjylland, backed by Brentford owner Matthew Benham, were only formed a month before Untied won their historic treble in 1999. And the contrast in the stature of the clubs is reflected by their respective Twitter followers - Midtjylland have 6,732 compared to United's 6.56million.
The Danish champions eliminated Southampton in a qualifying round and their pony-tailed chairman Rasmus Ankersen, appointed by former financier and professional gambler Benham, flexed his muscles after the draw.
"We have already beaten one English team so we are not afraid," said Ankersen. "We are a small club with a small budget and we know we can't outspend them so we have to out-think them and, so far, this way has worked for us in the Europa League.
"There is not a huge chance for us to beat Manchester United, but there is a chance and we'll take up the challenge.
"If we can beat Southampton we can beat Manchester United. That's what the players will feel because they deserved to win against Southampton and that gives them the belief they can do it again."
United midfielder Juan Mata hopes United will pull out of their bad run long before they meet the Danish minnows.
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| Midtjylland beat Southampton earlier in the season |
After the defeat at Bournemouth - their fifth game on the trot without a win - heaped the pressure on Louis van Gaal, Mata said: "Everything passes and this bad streak will pass. In these moments is when we have to stick together more than ever.
"We are aware that we have to get better and that's why, despite feeling so bad after a painful defeat, we have to stand up and keep working to prepare the next game. With the right attitude and each of us giving the maximum we will get out of this situation.
"This is a long season and there's still a long way to go. We will never give up, that's for sure."
Midtylland's ground in Herning holds just 11,800 fans and manager Jess Thorup said: "Miracles have happened before, and we will probably need one again. However, we do not just lie down. We deserved to qualify for the round of 32, and we aim to prove that to ourselves and to our opponents."
Midtjylland, like Brentford, have adopted the use of mathematical modelling and key performance indicators in their management and style of play, factors Van Gaal will need to study after a probable call to fellow Dutchman and Southampton manager Ronald Koeman.
They have visited Manchester before, drawing City in a UEFA Cup qualifying round in 2008 in which they lost the second leg on penalties.
Jurgen Klopp faces a return to Germany after Liverpool were drawn against Augsburg, another club in their maiden European campaign.
And Augsburg coach Markus Weinzierl insists compatriot Klopp will not under-estimate a club currently lying 13th the Bundesliga.
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| Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool will face German side Augsburg |
"The anticipation of facing Liverpool is huge. Everyone was happy," he said. "Liverpool are a cult and Jurgen is a huge name in Germany so I'm happy for the whole club. We will do everything in that we can. This game is something special.
"We will be underdogs against Liverpool but this is a role we like to assume. We have courage and confidence. Jurgen Klopp knows us and will not under-estimate us."
Tottenham have by far the hardest and most glamorous tie, drawing Serie A title chasers Fiorentina for the second season running at this stage. Last season they went out 3-1 on aggregate.
Valencia coach Gary Neville avoided any of the English clubs when the Spaniards were paired with Rapid Vienna.
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