Close menu

Champions League: Manchester United draw Real Madrid

Last updated on .From the section Footballcomments963

Ronaldo & Rooney

Manchester United have been drawn against Spanish champions Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League.

The match will see Cristiano Ronaldo return to Old Trafford for the first time since his £80m move from United to Real in June 2009.

Celtic will play Italian side Juventus, while Arsenal take on last year's beaten finalists Bayern Munich.

Four-times winners Barcelona take on seven-times champions AC Milan, while Valencia face Paris St Germain.

Borussia Dortmund have been drawn against Shakhtar Donetsk and Porto take on Malaga, while Galatasaray will play Schalke.

But the undoubted tie of the round sees nine-times winners Real take on United for the first time in nine years.

The sides last met in the 2002-03 quarter-final with the Spaniards triumphing 6-5 on aggregate.

Real won the first leg of that tie 3-1 and went through after a virtuoso second-leg performance from the Brazilian Ronaldo, who scored a hat-trick and was applauded off the Old Trafford pitch, as United won 4-3.

United club secretary John Alexander said: "Out of several stand-out ties, I think this is the one. If history has anything in our favour our one [aggregate] victory against Real Madrid in this competition was in the season when we won the final at Wembley [in 1968]."

Real Madrid director Emilio Butragueno said it would be a special match for the two managers, United's Sir Alex Ferguson and Real's Jose Mourinho, who will meet for the 15th time in the first leg.

"I know the coaches have a great relationship," he stated. "Sir Alex Ferguson knows how to get the best out of his players and they have top players, but we are Real Madrid and we will try our best."

In 14 previous matches as manager of Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan, Mourinho lost just two games against United, with six being drawn.

Mourinho first took on Ferguson in the Champions League round of 16 in the 2003-04 competition, leading his Porto side to a 2-1 home win before snatching a draw in injury-time at Old Trafford to spark a manic touchline dash.

The duo met 10 times when Mourinho was manager at Chelsea and their latest games came in the 2008-09 Champions League when United knocked Inter Milan out of the competition with a 2-0 aggregate win.

As group winners, United will again play the second leg of the tie at home.

Celtic and Arsenal, as group runners-up, will play their first legs at home.

Hoops manager Neil Lennon is looking forward to a "beauty" of a tie against Italian champions Juventus.

"In terms of glamour it's a beauty," he said.

Meanwhile, Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is optimistic his side will see off Arsenal.

"We enter this match as the slight favourites but we can make the mistake of underestimating them," said the German.

The first legs will be played on either February 12/13 or 19/20, with the return matches on March 5/6 or 12/13.

Champions League round of 16 draw:

Galatasaray v FC Schalke

Celtic v Juventus

Arsenal v Bayern Munich

Shakhtar Donetsk v Borussia Dortmund

AC Milan v Barcelona

Real Madrid v Manchester United

Valencia v Paris St Germain

FC Porto v Malaga

Comments

Join the conversation

These comments are now closed.

963 comments

  • Comment posted by media_lies, at 11:23 20 Dec 2012

    Dear BBC, Barcelona are not the defending champions.

  • Comment posted by U15457134, at 07:52 20 Dec 2012

    As a MUFC supporter I really hope we get Real Madrid. Either we are good enough (which sadly I doubt a little) and will get the kind of confidence needed by beating them or we're not and than we'd be out and it would be done with. And if we were shown up in the last 16 than it might finally convince Ferguson to go and buy a midfielder........

  • Comment posted by U13928542, at 09:17 20 Dec 2012

    Thank you Beebs for making a new team. 'Mentalist' Kharkiv. What next? Shaktar Donner?

  • Comment posted by U13928542, at 11:28 20 Dec 2012

    As if 'Mentalist' Kharkiv was not enough, the Beebs have delcared Barcelona to be the defending champions.
    Well done

  • Comment posted by TheDevilsMarkingMe, at 11:23 20 Dec 2012

    "Defending champions Barcelona" Classic BBC!

  • Comment posted by PGB Addick, at 07:18 20 Dec 2012

    I believe Joey Barton is in talks with Mentalist.

    Can someone tell me how they decide which CL 3rd place teams are seeded and which are not in the Eurpoa?

  • Comment posted by smudger666, at 11:13 20 Dec 2012

    @ Derwaldman - Who did Forest get?

    @ King Red - City after the 1st leg?? No mate, the ties are in Feb, we dont play City until April

    Love how all the Non-United fans were straight on here itching to have a pop. Hated, Adored never ignored.....

    The fact you all expect us to lose, like you did against City n Chelsea this season, will do us a favour.....

  • Comment posted by AllanJ, at 11:09 20 Dec 2012

    "Celtic, in a two-leg tie, won't just get a wee battum smackin' - they will get muddud." No doubt you were one of the idiots that said we wouldn't get a point in our group never mind 10 ! How we all laughed at you and your ilk !

  • Comment posted by Jay-Zed, at 09:21 20 Dec 2012

    Mentalist Kharkiv.... is Alan Partridge running the show?

    Top rate reporting BBC, this is what our licence fee pays for!

  • Comment posted by jonby, at 21:37 20 Dec 2012

    @832

    AFC, CFC and MUFC hve regularly made the knock-out stages (with the odd exception of course) of the CL in the last 10 years, if we lose our 4th CL spot its because the other 89 other professional teams in england need to start pulling their collective fingers out and improve

  • Comment posted by U13811852, at 11:05 20 Dec 2012

    Tough draw for British clubs, can't see any of them getting through. Shaktar vs Dortmund will be a great game

  • Comment posted by Ace21, at 11:03 20 Dec 2012

    Some brilliant games
    Operation Kidnap Ronaldo!

  • Comment posted by U14379281, at 13:03 20 Dec 2012

    I watch Real fairly regularly, and while they are going through a rough phase at the moment, I'd still make them slight favourites to beat United in a one-off cup tie.

    Their midfield is better, as is their defence. And they have Ronaldo.

    However, this is somewhat balanced by the small advantage United have of playing the second leg at home. Tough one to call, this!

  • Comment posted by BlameItOnEboue, at 13:02 20 Dec 2012

    I think all United supporters will agree that have been pretty shocking the last couple of seasons in Europe against the so called lesser teams.

    Maybe this is what they need to move them up a gear. Either way United will have a real tough tie. As an Arsenal fan I will be cheering them on but I fear there will be no english teams in the QF

  • Comment posted by U13765768, at 12:56 20 Dec 2012

    Listen its a great tie Manchester United vs Real Madrid, i'm fed up with these games in europe against the likes of Galatasary and Braga that are very hard to get excited about. THe Champions league is about these types of games that get the blood flowing the atmosphere buzzing in both grounds

  • Comment posted by Drasticus Maximus, at 12:41 20 Dec 2012

    Once again I sigh at the myriad of comments delighting in the hope of the remaining English clubs failing, 2 months before the game. When we will learn to put away our rivalries when it comes to Europe? Lets get behind Man U and Arsenal (I support neither). I am hoping for an Arsenal and Man U final. And good luck to Celtic too.

  • Comment posted by smudger666, at 12:37 20 Dec 2012

    @ bilbo - Hiya pal, tough draw but one Im relishing, can see it being very high scoring at both grounds!

    @ King Red - When all is said and done, all of these City/Chelsea and every other club's fans taking a swipe, would love to be in our position. I suspect the managers and boards of those tams would be too. We may get beat, we may win, we'll find out in Feb. Point is we're in it, they arent.

  • Comment posted by U14385251, at 11:39 20 Dec 2012

    Why does the BBC persist in having pictures of Wayne Rooney on topping their football articles. The man is nothing but an ordinary player which has been proven by his English performances since 2004. Plus RVP is standing out for Man U, just like Ronaldo did.. which again shows Rooney up as oridinary. surprised he didnt win Sports personality of the year

  • Comment posted by Stevie, at 01:40 21 Dec 2012

    AC Milan vs Barcelona is far and away the best tie of the round. The current Real Madrid side is one of the worst for years - United simply MUST beat them. If they don't, questions will surely be asked.

  • Comment posted by MrBrightside, at 23:52 20 Dec 2012

    @885

    The odds are long but they are no way near that big. If I could be bothered to work it out then would.

    What is stupid about the draw is that a team is pulled out with 4 teams to be drawn against left and he has to play 1 team because if he had to play the 2nd team that he could (not in group/country) but can't because then a diff team would be forced to break the above.

    Overly complicated

Top Stories