Man Utd To Face Real In Battle Of Giants
Manchester United have been drawn to play European champions Real Madrid in the outstanding match of a dazzling quarter-final Champions League draw.
The chance of a Milan derby at this stage ended when Inter Milan were drawn to play Valencia and Ajax Amsterdam were drawn to play AC Milan.
In the fourth stunning tie, Juventus will meet Barcelona for the first time in European competition since 1991.
The two-legged quarter-finals will be played on April 8/9 and April 22/23.
Real and United last met in the quarter-finals in April 2000 when the teams drew 0-0 in Madrid before Real won 3-2 at Old Trafford to eliminate United who were European champions at the time.
Real went on to beat Valencia 3-0 in the all-Spanish final in Paris and lift the trophy for the eighth time. Last year Real beat Bayer Leverkusen for their ninth success.
Real's French midfielder Zinedine Zidane was satisfied with the draw. "I'm glad not to be playing another Spanish team so this is a good draw from my point of view," he said.
"All games are difficult from now on. You have to play them and win them. If we want to carry on in the competition we have to beat Manchester United. This is a very strong United team."
Zidane said he would rather be playing the first leg at Old Trafford and the return at the Bernabeu.
"It's better to play the away leg second, but there's nothing we can do about it. We need to do our job well at home and then go there," he added.
Manchester United spokesman Ken Ramsden said: "We sat in the hotel last night and talked about who we might get and now we have the plum draw. We are delighted because our history and their history go back so far together.
"We have a great relationship with them off the pitch and have done for many years."
It is the fourth time United and Real have met in Europe's premier club competition and each time the winner of the tie has gone on to lift the trophy -- Real Madrid in 1956-57, United in 1967-68 and Real again in 1999-2000.
Cuper Returns
Ajax won the European Cup for the fourth time when they beat Milan in the 1995 final in Vienna, while Inter manager Hector Cuper will relish the chance of a match against Valencia, who he took to the final in 2000 and 2001 where they lost to Real Madrid and then Bayern Munich.
Bayern were the only major giants of the European club scene missing from the draw. The eight teams can boast 47 European trophies between them and 25 European Cup successes.
Seven of the eight -- the exceptions being Valencia -- have won the European Cup in the past.
The winners of the Real-United match will meet the winners of the Barcelona-Juventus game in the semi-finals so there could still be derby meetings between Real and Barcelona and Inter and Milan.
The winners of Inter-Valencia face either Ajax or Milan in the other semi-final. The semis take place on May 6/7 and May 13/14.
The final takes place at Old Trafford, Manchester on May 28.
Juve Happy
Juventus official Romy Gai said his club was happy with the draw against Barcelona.
"They should be two extraordinary matches".
"It is a good draw for the whole competition as we have avoided any Italian teams -- so it is an excellent draw overall.
"Barcelona have done very well in the Champions League so far, they are a great team with great fans and a magnificent stadium, it will be very difficult.
"Maybe they have an advantage by playing at home in the second leg but we have to make the most of our home leg," he said.
Regarding a possible semi-final with Real or Manchester United, Gai said: "That would be something for the fans to look forward to and gives some extra spice to the quarter-final".
English bookmakers William Hill make Real Madrid the 7-2 favourites to win the competition with Manchester United, AC Milan and Valencia joint 5-1 second-favourites.