A return for Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho at Manchester United
Real Madrid fans have put their hopes on the Portuguese attacker to lead the club to UEFA Champions League glory. Club director Emilio Butragueno is certain that Cristiano Ronaldo, who won his only Champions League trophy under a Manchester United jersey back in 2008, will play a pivotal with the Red Devils being Los Blancos’ next opponents.
“I am sure it is going to be special game for him, he's a great professional so I am sure he is going to do his best to help Real Madrid to qualify. But yes, going back there is going to be very special for him.”
Another talking point is the reunion of Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson as old foes. The ‘Only One’ is under pressure to deliver the goods following Madrid’s disappointing run in the Spanish Primera Division. While rumours suggest that Mourinho will succeed Fergie at Old Trafford, the reality is that both managers will clash come February and March 2013 and only one will prevail.
“I know that they have a very good relationship. Jose is a fantastic manager, he is under contract with Madrid and we are very happy with him. I hope that he is going to lead the team and make our fans feel proud of our team, that's the main objective,” Butragueno concluded.
Other top matches
Just as Arsene Wenger wished, Arsenal avoided Barcelona. However, the Gunners may not be too comfortable about their date with Germany’s devastating giants, Bayern Munchen. Last season, Milan narrowly lost to FC Barcelona in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League. The Rossoneri will want to rectify their mistakes this time round.
The first legs will be played on the 12-13 and 19-20 of February and the return fixtures will take place on the 5-6 and 12-13 of March 2013. The eight pairings for the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League Last 16 stage are as follows:
February 12, 2013 and March 6, 2013:
Celtic – Juventus; Valencia – Paris Saint-Germain
February 13, 2013 and March 5, 2013:
Shakhtar Donetsk – Borussia Dortmund; Real Madrid – Manchester United
February 19, 2013 and March 13, 2013:
Porto – Malaga; Arsenal – Bayern Munchen
February 20, 2013 and March 12, 2013:
Galatasaray – Schalke 04; Milan – Barcelona
