Manchester United had hoped this latest encounter with Bayern Munich would be like May 1999 all over again, but instead they had to be content with December 1998.

On that occasion at Old Trafford United and Bayern stopped playing in the final 15 minutes because they knew a draw would be enough to see both through to the Champions League quarter-finals.

This was not quite as non-competitive, but the tempo of the game did drop when news filtered through to the respective benches that third-placed Boavista were drawing with Nantes and that a point would be enough for both sides to qualify for the last eight.

Save for an entertaining 20-minute period after half-time when both sides had chances to win, this seventh meeting of these 'old' foes failed to live up to expectations.

But neither Sir Alex Ferguson nor Ottmar Hitzfeld will mind that much and they will be happy to have booked their places in the quarter-finals with a game to spare.

United can now enjoy next Tuesday's trip to Oporto for their final game against Boavista and stock up on their port collection.

Ferguson sprang something of a surprise for this heavyweight clash with the European Cup holders.

After defending his controversial 4-4-1-1 formation to the hilt, Ferguson ditched it and went 4-4-2, which has served him so well recently.

That meant Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the hero of Barcelona, started alongside Ruud van Nistelrooy, while Paul Scholes made way for Ryan Giggs in midfield.

Bayern were depleted and Carsten Jancker, Mehmet Scholl, Niko Kovac, Pablo Thiam and Hasan Salihamidzic were all injured.

Bayern, though, managed to pull off a surprise of their own and after Ferguson had predicted they would adopt a cautious approach, they fielded a diamond-shaped attack of Paulo Sergio, Roque Santa Cruz and Claudio Pizarro.

Bayern were prepared to go toe-to-toe with United and they managed the first shot on goal through the impressive Owen Hargreaves when the England World Cup hopeful flashed an effort wide.

The first half was largely disappointing and Bayern enjoyed the majority of the play without really creating anything.

Giggs produced a rare moment of excitement when he jinked his way into the Bayern box before shooting right-footed just wide of Oliver Kahn's left-hand post.

Blanc and van Nistelrooy were booked before half-time and Roy Keane was fortunate not to follow them into referee Gilles Veissiere's book, and pick up a one-match ban, for cutting down Stefan Effenberg.

The second half was much better and within a minute of the restart Pizarro tested Fabien Barthez with a low drive, which the United goalkeeper gathered at his left-hand post.

United, inspired by Giggs, finally came to life and the Welshman weaved his way into the Bayern box, going one way and then the other, before hitting a left-foot shot which Kahn expertly touched away for a corner.

The shot lifted United and now it was Bayern's turn to do some defending.

Kahn acrobatically knocked a dangerous cross from Juan Veron away for a corner before the Bayern goalkeeper saved a Solskjaer effort from Gary Neville's whipped-in cross.

United kept up the pressure and Silvestre headed over from a Beckham corner.

Giggs continued to be United's best attacker and he crossed for van Nistelrooy to head just over Kahn's crossbar.

Finally we had a contest and Barthez made three saves in quick succession to deny Bayern.

First he made an excellent stop to keep out Pizarro's header from Effenberg's free-kick before saved from Jeremies and the Bayern skipper.

Back stormed United and Kahn parried a piledriver from van Nistelrooy. But then just like in December 1998, both sides eased up and settled on a diplomatic draw which saw United progress to the quarter-finals for a sixth successive season.

Teams:

Man Utd: Barthez, Gary Neville, Johnsen, Blanc, Silvestre, Beckham, Veron, Keane, Giggs, van Nistelrooy, Solskjaer (Forlan 78).

Subs Not Used: Carroll, Irwin, Butt, Phil Neville, Scholes, Fortune.

Booked: Blanc, van Nistelrooy.

Bayern Munich: Kahn, Kuffour, Linke, Robert Kovac, Lizarazu, Hargreaves, Effenberg, Jeremies (Fink 73), Santa Cruz (Zickler 77), Pizarro, Sergio (Elber 83).

Subs Not Used: Dreher, Sagnol, Sforza, Tarnat.

Att: 66,818

Ref: G Veissiere (France).