Manchester United football club boasts the largest fan base on earth and it is always a treat to speak with their fevered supporters as the season progresses. As one of the elite clubs in England, Europe and the world, Man United has the honor of playing in the best footballing tournaments against some of the best teams on the planet. For example, Man United are the defending champions of the Barclays Premier League and have been to the final of the prestigious UEFA Champions League final three times in the last four years, though they lost two of those finals to Barcelona FC. Nevertheless, the Man United rollercoaster ride is usually long and exciting each season and begs the question – which Man United fixtures to the fans most look forward to?
At the beginning of each season, Man United usually find themselves taking part in four competitions: the previously mentioned Barclays Premier League (formerly the English Premier League), the UEFA Champions League, the FA Cup and the Carling Cup. The Barclays Premier League is globally recognized as the most competitive and prestigious football league in the world. The FA Cup is a tournament steeped in tradition as the oldest football tourney on the planet. And while the Carling Cup is generally regarded as the least of the four annual tournaments and is generally used to blood the upcoming generation of Man United stars, the UEFA Champions League is seen as the Holy Grail for the world’s top clubs, the very pinnacle of club football.
These four competitions clearly result in the Red Devils matching up against top teams at home and across Europe. On the domestic scene the fans eagerly look forward to title deciding clashes between the other contenders such as Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal while matchups with longtime rivals like Liverpool and Manchester City are something to savor. On the European stage the magic of facing other elite teams such as Real Madrid, AC Milan, Barcelona and Bayern Munich are enough to make any ardent Man United fan crave for these fixtures season after season. It is a difficult call to say any one tournament is the fan favorite, but whatever the cup, the fans always expect Man United to win.