Champions League Returns to Old Trafford: Manchester United and Fans Both Need This 'Relief'

The walls of the Old Nags Head pub in central Manchester are covered with historic Manchester United photographs, many of which document the club's glorious European campaigns. There is an image of George Best holding the European Cup in 1968, a photo of manager Sir Matt Busby and Best lifting the famous trophy together, and a snowy, desolate pitch after the 1958 Munich air disaster. There is also a large color photograph from 1968 showing Nobby Stiles, missing his front teeth, and teammate Paddy Crerand proudly displaying the European Cup. Another photo shows Best wearing a Mexican sombrero in Lisbon in 1966, from one of his and the team's finest performances. There are also more recent photos on the walls.

On Thursday night, the pub will be packed as it is before every Manchester United home match. Sabah FK will become the first Azerbaijani team to face Manchester United, and the Champions League is returning to Old Trafford after a three-year absence.

Manchester United and their fans both need this moment of relief.

The club needs prestige, revenue, opportunities to play matches, more playing time for more players, and a chance for fans who previously could not get tickets to attend. The final few thousand tickets for the Sabah match are still on public sale, partly because the visiting team is expected to bring only a very small number of supporters.

Financially, the benefits of returning to Europe's top club competition are very direct. Like several English counterparts, Manchester United would find it difficult to keep their finances running properly without the ticketing, commercial and prize money income generated by the Champions League. In fact, Manchester United carry significant debt that needs to be repaid, while financial support from the owners has been limited, meaning they need this revenue more than most other clubs.

How much money Manchester United ultimately receive will depend on their performance in this season's Champions League. There are bonuses for every win in the league phase, and reaching the knockout stages would bring even more income. The Champions League prize pool is extremely large, and even a poor performance can still provide substantial guaranteed revenue. In the past 12 seasons, Manchester United have reached the Champions League quarter-finals only once, while the club's financial planning was originally based on reaching the last eight every season.