Manchester United have been drawn against Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of this season's Champions League. Alex Ferguson's men will be away to the Spanish giants - nine-time winners of the competition - in the first leg of the double header, on April 8/9, with return leg taking place on April 22/23.
Before the draw, Ferguson welcomed a possible show-down with the Spanish giants and said: "At this stage it does not matter, you know whoever you come up against will be tough. I would be very happy if we are paired with Real. Facing teams like Real, Barcelona, Juventus and the rest is what the Champions League is all about."
And United spokesman Ken Merrett believes that the incentive of having the final at Old Trafford, will give Ferguson's men the edge. "It is a fantastic incentive to play in our own stadium in such a competition. It would be beyond our wildest dreams. It does not matter whether we play home or away first, it is not as though Madrid are a defensive team. They will go for the win and so will we," he said.
Should United manage to overcome Real, they will then face the winner of the Juventus v Barcelona clash in the semi-final. In the other quarter-finals, drawn in Nyon, Inter Milan were paired with Valencia, with Ajax taking on AC Milan.
Champions League Quarter-Final DrawReal Madrid v Man Utd
Inter Milan v Valencia
Ajax v Milan
Juventus v Barcelona
First Legs to be played April 8th/9th Second leg to be played April 22nd/23rd
Filed by Rob Wright
