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Midtjylland must believe they can beat Man United - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Former Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said FC Midtjylland must believe they can win when they take on United in the Europa League on Thursday.

Midtjylland are huge underdogs against Louis van Gaal's side, but Molde head coach Solskjaer stressed that the Danish club must not allow themselves to be beaten before a ball has been kicked.

"There's maybe a one or two percent chance, but there is a chance. That's the thing," he told Midtjylland's official YouTube channel.

"If you've seen Dumb and Dumber, the movie [when Lauren Holly's character tells Jim Carrey that his chances with her are one in a million], he says: 'There's one in a million.' He looks at it in a positive way -- 'There is a chance, you're telling me that there is a chance.' I think you've got to go in with that belief, that maybe this is that miraculous day."

Solskjaer, who scored United's winner in the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich, will be supporting his former club.

And despite the fact they are in the Europa League rather than the Champions League, he said they remained on the same level as Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona.

"In my opinion, it is one of the three biggest clubs in the world," he added. "I had almost 15 years there and it's a fantastic club to be in, and it's been one of the best teams in the world in the last 15, 20 years.

"It's going to be a tough game of course [for Midtjylland] but a great occasion for all of the supporters and for the players, of course, to play against superstars like Wayne Rooney.

"I've not seen United live for a while but, from watching on television, you see that Van Gaal's philosophy is based on possession, quite a lot of possession, so I would expect United to have a lot of the ball."

Midtjylland must also adopt a positive approach to the second leg in Manchester, Solskjaer said, adding: "They have to go to Old Trafford and not just be a spectator, be a tourist.

"I've played at Old Trafford against good teams, good players, and I've been surprised by the lack of belief in the opponent. They've come to Old Trafford and it's like they're looking at the stadium and before you know it we are 3-0 or 4-0 up and win 5-0.

"Tradition, history, maybe a fear factor; Alex Ferguson, Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, David Beckham. It was just one of those feelings you had."