Burton Albion will lock horns once again with Premier League giants Manchester United tomorrow - more than 11 years after their last cup clash when the Red Devils sparked football mania in the town.

The Brewers, at the time a Conference outfit, earned a hard-fought 0-0 draw at the Pirelli Stadium in January 2006, before losing the FA Cup third round replay 5-0. But that defeat didn't stop a footballing revolution which was to change the fortunes of the East Staffordshire club forever.

Eleven years on, the thoughts, hopes and dreams of everybody connected with the Brewers will be focusing on Old Trafford once more as Nigel Clough and his men take on Jose Mourinho's world-class stars in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, September 20.

It has been more than 4,000 days since Burton Albion’s last trip to Old Trafford, and both clubs have undergone major changes since their last meeting.

Burton have stormed through the league pyramid to take their place in the Championship, three tiers above their former Conference status while the extraordinary 26-year reign of Sir Alex Ferguson finally ended at Old Trafford. But the Red Devils remain a Premier League powerhouse under manager Jose Mourinho with a string of world-class stars from Paul Pogba to David De Gea.

Within two seasons of the Old Trafford 5-0 defeat, the Brewers had been promoted to the Football League, ending a near 60-year stint at non-league level.

Burton Albion manager Nigel Clough will be leading his side to Manchester
Burton Albion manager Nigel Clough will be leading his side to Manchester

The club rose through the divisions with back to back promotions to reach the Championship and last season defied the odds to avoid relegation with fans delighted by modern era heroes at the Pirelli Stadium in the shape of Australian Jackson Irvine and Luke Murphy, on loan from Leeds.

In the 11 years since the 2006 FA Cup clash, manager Nigel Clough has left the Pirelli Stadium to be replaced by four successors, including Gary Rowett and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, before returning to the Albion dugout in 2015.

Manchester United meanwhile saw one of football's greatest ever managers, Sir Alex Ferguson, call time on his 26-year reign in 2013, and the club has failed to win the Premier League since his departure.

New managerial appointments David Moyes and Dutchman Louis van Gaal failed to set Old Trafford alight but the club are showing signs of returning to title-winning form under the former Chelsea and three time Premier League winning manager, José Mourinho.

The Manchester outfit have forked out hundreds of millions of pounds in transfer fees in recent seasons, including the then world record £89 million lavished on Frenchman Paul Pogba, who will miss the fixture with a hamstring injury.

By contrast Burton Albion signed striker Liam Boyce from Scottish Premiership outfit Ross County in the summer for a fee of around £500,000, but he will also miss the game after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee earlier this season.

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Manchester United currently sit proudly at the summit of the Premier League table alongside near neighbours Manchester City, with new £75 million Belgian signing Romelu Lukaku helping spearhead an impressive start to the current campaign.

Meanwhile, the Brewers sit just above the relegation zone in the Championship after winning just one of their opening seven fixtures.

In the 11 years since the meeting of the two clubs, the football world has changed dramatically. Inflated transfer fees and rocketing wages have seen many players earn in a week the sort of sums thousands of workers may never earn in a lifetime.Meanwhile, life has changed dramatically for many of the players who met on the field at the Pirelli Stadium and Old Trafford in January 2006.

Many fans and pundits have hailed former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the greatest players of all time. The Portuguese superstar has won the Ballon d'Or four times, an award given to the best player in Europe for the year, secured a then world record move to Spanish giants Real Madrid and has scored 285 league goals in 265 appearance for his new club. Back in January 2006 he came off the bench for a brief cameo appearance against the Brewers.

In goal for Burton for both matches was Saul Deeney, who was at the time in his second spell at the club.

He left the Brewers in 2009 and joined local rivals Derby County. After a subsequent brief spell in Northern Ireland, 34-year-old Deeney now finds himself sharing roles as a player for Northern Premier Division South side Basford United and as a coach at Notts County.

Young defender Gerard Pique played the full 90 minutes in both fixtures for Manchester United in 2006, but ultimately left to rejoin Spanish giants and boyhood club, Barcelona.

The Spanish defender has not looked back since, playing 91 times for the national team, winning the World Cup in 2010 and the European Championships in 2012.

Meanwhile, the Pirelli Stadium's capacity of 6,912 seats contrasts sharply with the vast expanses of Old Trafford, which can hold over 75,000.

The last time Burton Albion were relegated from a division was 1977 when they fell from the Southern League Premier Division, only three years after Manchester United's own relegation to the old Second Division in 1974.

Some of the Brewers' first team players have an impressive record against Manchester United in cup competitions. Ben Turner starred in Coventry City's win over the Red Devils in 2009 while striker Luke Varney was praised for his performance for Crewe Alexandra in 2006 when he scored the goal which forced the League Cup game against Manchester United to go to extra time.

The cup tie is live on the Sky Sports Main Event channel, with kick off at 7.30pm.

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