Manchester United fans face missing Benfica trip as Ryanair axe flights to Lisbon ahead of Champions League tie
MANCHESTER UNITED fans are facing the prospect of missing their club's clash with Benfica in Lisbon - after Ryanair announced a mass cancellation.
The budget airline have canned 40 to 50 flights every DAY while they attempt to honour pilots' annual leave after a busy summer, the company claimed.
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United face Benfica in the Portuguese capital on October 18 - right in the middle of the dates announced by Ryanair for mass cancellation.
And even though the company have not scrapped any planned departures from Manchester, they have from London Stansted, one of their hub airports in the UK.
Not only will that spark the age-old joke about United fans living in London, but it will enrage some supporters who have been raiding their piggy banks to try and get to Portugal.
One supporter tweeted: "Nearly all flights to Lisbon cancelled by @Ryanair when @ManUtd play there next month. Absolute w***ers. Refunds don't help fans get there."
Although it is not quite true that nearly all flights are cancelled, it still could leave United fans struggling to make to it Portugal if flights are full.
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United have played Benfica several times during the Champions League group stages in recent years.
The two sides most recently drew both home and away in the 2011-12 competition, as United were knocked out in the group stages.
They also faced each other in 2005/06 and 2006/07, with United winning three of the matches and Benfica a 2-1 win at the Estadio da Luz.
But of course the most famous encounters came in the 1960s, with George Best tearing into the Portuguese side's defence in a thumping 5-1 win for United at the old Lisbon ground.
And in 1968 United won their first European Cup by beating Benfica 4-1 in extra time, with Best, Bobby Charlton and Brian Kidd getting the goals.
United won their first Champions League Group A game 3-0 over Basel, while Benfica lost 2-1 to CSKA Moscow.
Ryanair said: "We have messed up in the planning of pilot holidays and we're working hard to fix that.
"We advise customers to check the email address used to make their booking."