He may have put a brave face on it publicly, but privately David Moyes will have been bitterly disappointed to have seen his Manchester United side paired with Bayern Munich during the draw for the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Out of the seven teams that United could have drawn, the holders and German champions would have been the one that Moyes was desperate to avoid.
Nevertheless, that is the situation that the Scot has been dealt, with the first leg taking place at Old Trafford on Tuesday evening.
Moyes has a number of defensive issues for the tie, with vice-captain Patrice Evra suspended. Alexander Buttner is expected to deputise at left-back, but on the other flank Rafael da Silva could miss out, having limped off during Saturday's 4-1 win over Aston Villa in the Premier League.
Should the Brazilian fail to prove his fitness in time, then Phil Jones may fill that void, with the fit-again Chris Smalling coming in to play alongside skipper Nemanja Vidic at the heart of the defence.
Further forward, a bout of tendinitis could sideline Antonio Valencia, while Moyes could turn to Danny Welbeck to provide some pace to his attack.
Veteran midfielder Ryan Giggs has been tipped to play and with Juan Mata cup-tied, Shinji Kagawa is also in contention to feature.
Moyes's opposite number, Pep Guardiola, does not have as many selection problems to contend with, although a knee ligament complaint has omitted midfielder Thiago Alcantara and centre-back Dante, like Evra, is banned.
With Dante absent, Javi Martinez could drop back into a defensive role, which in turn may result in Philipp Lahm operating next to Bastian Schweinsteiger in a holding midfield role.
In attack, Mario Mandzukic will play as a lone frontman, with the likes of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery providing the support.
These two teams have met on nine previous occasions, with Bayern leading the head-to-head record 3-2. One of United's victories, though, did come in dramatic fashion during the 1999 Champions League final courtesy of late goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Recent form
Man United: WLWWLW
Bayern: WDWWWD
Possible starting lineups
Man United: De Gea; Jones, Vidic, Smalling, Buttner; Carrick, Giggs, Fellaini; Kagawa, Welbeck; Rooney
Bayern: Neuer; Rafinha, Boateng, Martinez, Alaba; Lahm, Schweinsteiger; Robben, Gotze, Ribery; Mandzukic
Sports Mole says: 0-3
No Data Analysis info
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