When Sir Alex Ferguson's Man Utd were humiliated 5-1 on their last visit to LASK

Manchester United go into a clash against Austrian side LASK on Thursday night as overwhelming favourites.

It's a game, in fact, that is being billed as the "game of the century" in Linz, a city with a huge population of United fans which has voiced its disappointment at the news the game will be played behind closed doors due to coronavirus. United are odds-on with the bookmakers to progress to the Europa League quarter-finals after the two legs following their convincing victory over Club Brugge.

But rewind almost 20 years to United's only previous game in the Linzer Stadion — which will be eerily empty on Thursday night — and it wasn't plain sailing for Alex Ferguson's United side.

On August 7th 1991, United had agreed to play in a pre-season friendly game against Austria Vienna, on the 80th birthday of the capital city club. The city of Linz was chosen to host the game and witnessed a quite incredible outcome that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be keen to avoid this week.

On Peter Schmeichel's United debut — one day, in fact, after he'd signed for the club from Brondby for just over £500,000 — Ferguson's men were humiliated 5-1 by the Austrian champions in front of a 12,000 crowd. Schmeichel was rarely beaten that many times in a 90-minute period during the rest of his eight-year United stint.

Vienna were no mugs back then, however, they were reigning champions and due to play Arsenal in the European Cup a few weeks after. Austrian football legend Herbert Prohaska was their boss.

Yet the United side included first-teamers (and future Premier League winners) Steve Bruce, Paul Ince, Mark Hughes, Brian McClair and Paul Parker and would go on to finish the 1991/92 campaign in second place just behind Leeds. So, while Ferguson was said by locals to have been delighted by the warm welcome his squad had received, he wasn't happy with the result — even if it was a friendly.

Austrian football journalist Harald Bartl tells MEN Sport: "The city of Linz gave a donation to bring the game to Linz.

"Austria Vienna were Austrian Champion at that time [and] were playing Arsenal in the European Cup a few weeks later, and so it was a great test for them.

"Mr Ferguson was very delighted by the Austrian kitchen and got a special kind of Austrian dumplings."

Maybe United's players enjoyed the local hospitality a little too much. Because the game, which also featured a substitute appearance from Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl, saw Austria Vienna race into a 3-0 lead inside 39 minutes, before McClair hit back before half-time. United then conceded 89th and 90th minute strikes.

Bartl adds: "The stadium has not changed too much since then. They still have a running track between stands and pitch. A rebuilding will start next year."

The stadium might be the same, it might be empty, but the opponents are different and United will hope for a very different result this week.

United XI: Schmeichel; Beardsmore, Bruce, Parker, Blackmore; Ince, Webb (Whitworth, 60), Ferguson (Wratten, 72); McClair, Hughes, Wallace.

Austria Vienna XI: Unger, Zsak, Sekerioglu, Pfeffer, Prosenik, Narbekovas, Stoger, Kern (Schmid, 67) Flogel (Letocha, 75), Ogris (Hasenhuttl, 67), Ivanauskas.