AS Roma coach Luciano Spalletti believes his team's return to the scene of its biggest-ever Champions League defeat should help the Romans.
"It'll provide the right stimulus," Spalletti said after Roma were drawn Thursday night in the same opening group as Manchester United, which beat it 7-1 in last year's quarter-final second leg at Old Trafford.
However, he admitted: "If I could have, I would have chosen differently".
The October 2 tie in Manchester is Roma's second engagement in Group F after a September 19 opener at home to Dynamo Kiev.
Man U will later visit Rome for the final group match on December 12 and preparations are already being made to avoid a repeat of the violent scenes - and controversial police tactics - that marred last season's leg.
UEFA and the clubs are trying to calm tempers - but British tabloid The Sun said Friday the date would mean "a return to hell" for the Red Devils' fans.
Dynamo's visit also holds bad memories for Roma.
UEFA awarded a 2004 Champions tie 3-0 to the Ukraine side after Swedish ref Anders Frisk was hit by a coin thrown from the crowd.
Roma, whose other group opponents are Sporting Lisbon, has been playing great football of late and will be confident of getting through alongside favourites United.
In Serie A, pundits already see Roma, last season's runner-up, as the biggest threat to champions Inter.
On Sunday Roma is looking to repeat at home to Siena the flowing football that brought it its opening success at Palermo last weekend.
Spalletti's outfit has shown greater discipline at the back while its already impressive attack has been bolstered by French winger Ludovico Giuly.
Inter, held at home by Udinese first time out, is bidding for its first win away to Empoli on Saturday night.
Last season's Serie A dominators, bashed 5-0 by Barcelona in a Wednesday night friendly, were cheered by a Champions League draw against PSV Eindhoven, CSKA Moscow and Fenerbahce in Group G.
Champions League holders AC Milan, which dominated Man U in last season's semis before beating Liverpool in the final, also got a good draw against Benfica, Celtic and Shakhtar Donetsk in Group D.
The encouraging prospects might lift their mood, pundits said, as they go into a UEFA Super Cup Final against Sevilla Friday night overshadowed by the recent death of Spanish defender Antonio Puerta.
Back in Serie A, Milan is one of six teams on three points from Day One after crushing Geona 3-0 but it will have to work hard on Monday evening against Fiorentina, impressive 3-1 winners against Empoli.
Another two of the opening-day winners, Juventus and Cagliari, face off in the Sardinian capital.
Juve, back in the top flight after a year's penance in Serie B for the Calciopoli scandal, is looking to repeat some of the finishing that brought David Trezeguet and Vincenzo Iaquinta a couple each in its 5-1 win against Livorno.
Sampdoria, which won at Siena last week, is at home to Lazio, judged by many unlucky to only draw against Torino last week.
After winning through to the Champions League with a 3-1 win at Dinamo Bucharest, Lazio is reckoned to have got the toughest draw of the four Italians, against Real Madrid, Werder Bremen and Olympiakos in Group C.
The other Serie A ties are Atalanta-Parma, Catania-Genoa, Livorno-Palermo, Torino-Reggina and Udinese-Napoli.
Torino was boosted Friday by the arrival on a free loan of veteran Uruguay star Alvaro Recoba from Inter.
