Bayern Munich will be hoping that the old adage ‘third time’s a charm’ rings true as they prepare for their Champions League Final against Bundesliga rival Borussia Dortmund. Having lost out to Inter Milan in 2010 and then losing on penalties to Chelsea last year, the German champions will be desperate to overcome a Dortmund side that has developed a fearsome reputation in Europe over the past year. 

Wembley Stadium is a fitting venue for the first ever all German Champions League Final but there is a wealth of international footballing talent in both teams; big spending Bayern can rely on the likes of Mario Mandzukic, Dante and Thomas Mueller, whereas Dortmund’s comparatively meagre budget  has seen them nurture players like Robert Lewandowski, Mats Hummels and the soon-to-be Bayern bound Mario Gotze into some of the most coveted players in Europe.

Dortmund may be considered underdogs but manager Jurgen Klopp is confident his side will perform in the “perfect place against the perfect opponent”. However, they will undoubtedly miss the talents of Gotze who won’t feature against his future club due to a groin injury.

One of the key battles in tonight’s final will be between Robert Lewandowski and Bayern’s centre backs Dante and Jerome Boateng. Dortmund’s Polish front man has tormented opposition defences throughout the competition with his clever movement and incisive finishing; Manchester City, Malaga and especially Real Madrid all failed to deal with him and consequently paid the price.

Without the clever wide play of Gotze to support him, Lewandowski may find himself having to work more to create chances but he can also rely on Marco Reus and Jakub Blaszczykowski for ammunition in what is likely to be his final game for the club.

Another key tussle will take place in the centre of the pitch. Both teams posses a number of world class central midfielders and their contest for the engine room may decide who goes on to lift that illustrious trophy. The evergreen Bastian Schweinsteiger will look to pull the strings for Bayern with his almost faultless distribution but he will have to contend with his compatriot Sven Bender.

The more defensively minded Bender excels at shielding the Dortmund defence by breaking up opposition play and with Nuri Sahin and Iker Gundogan alongside him, their midfield posses both passing ability and defensive stability.

The Bundesliga fixture that was billed as the dress rehearsal for tonight’s final ended in a 1-1 draw, which seems rather appropriate as there doesn’t seem to be much that separates the two teams on the pitch. Off the pitch, however, it is the battle of big spending Bayern and their big name internationals against Klopp’s well built side of bargain buys and home grown talent.

There may not be an English team in this year’s final but at least we have the privilege of hosting what is sure to be on the more memorable conclusions to the Champions League.

Bayern Munich coach Jupp Heynckes

When David Moyes takes over at Manchester United, 91 of the 92 league clubs will have changed their manager since Arsene Wenger last won a trophy. Arsenal are the only club that haven’t, an incredible statistic, but Gunners fans can take heart from this weekend’s Champions League Final.

Before the start of this campaign, Bayern Munich coach Jupp Heynckes had gone 14 years without a trophy, culminating last season with an incredible runners-up treble in the Bundesliga, German Cup and the Champions League. Despite this, he has comeback stronger than ever this term, creating the greatest team he has ever been involved with in his career.

That is an incredible statement when you consider his longevity of his career. If Greece’s Euro 2004 winning coach, Otto Rehhagel, is the grandfather of German football then Heynckes is the father. He has been involved in more than a thousand Bundesliga games, second in history behind Rehhagel, and this despite spending seven years of his managerial career in Spain and Portugal.

Heynckes has been an integral part in some amazing sides in that time, starting with his playing role as the goalscorer in the great Borussia Mönchengladbach of the mid 1970s. He was also a member of the West German squad that did the double of European Championships and World Cup in 1972 and 1974.

As a manager he won two consecutive titles with Bayern in the late 1980s before his biggest moment as a coach, winning the Champions League in his sole season with Real Madrid in 1998, ending their 32-year wait for a European Cup. A side boasting a young Raul and the likes of Clarence Seedorf, Roberto Carlos and Fernando Redondo as well as being able to call on Davor Sukur from the bench.

There is no questioning the high regard Heynckes was already held in before this season. Uli Hoeneβ has been quoted as saying that firing Heynckes the first time around was one of the biggest mistakes he has made whilst in charge at Bayern Munich.

The current Bayern side he has created have dominated both domestically and in Europe like no other side before, winning the Bundesliga by 25 points from a side good enough to be in the Champions League Final against them on Saturday. To put that into perspective, Celtic won this year’s SPL (played over the same amount of games) by five less points.

An astonishing 26 out of 31 conceivable Bundesliga records were broken by this team and they have dropped just two points since Christmas, meaning they have played every team in the Bundesliga in 2013 and beaten all of them except their opponents on Saturday, who managed a draw.

Whilst doing all that at home they also negotiated the notoriously tricky Champions League knockout stages with ease, beating a Juventus side who strolled away with Serie A 4-0 on aggregate, before destroying a Barcelona side that 12 months ago was almost considered unbeatable themselves, 7-0 on aggregate. Just think about that for a minute, they won 3-0 in the Nou Camp!

What may be their most amazing achievement though is that they have been so good they have re-energised Heynckes himself. At the start of the season, the 68-year old’s press-conferences were littered with mentions about his age and thinking about spending more time with his family and comments that seemed to hint to impending retirement. Under those circumstances, it is easy to see why they jumped at the chance to bring Josep Guardiola in for next season.

Now though, Heynckes seems excited about the future within football and looking forward towards the next challenge. Although with two wins in the next week – Champions League and German Cup Finals – it would be tough to see where he could go after an historic treble.

Jurgen Klopp

So an era has ended with Sir Alex Ferguson bringing down the curtain on an incredible career, with one Glaswegian taking over from another. David Moyes is the choice of Manchester United – a steady hand on the tiller who will already be planning what to do with the likes of Wayne Rooney and Wilfried Zaha.

But let’s imagine that things are still up in the air, a parallel universe if you will, where Ferguson has shocked the Glazers and left them with a decision to make. One man currently awaiting a Wembley date should be taken fully into consideration. That man is Borussia Dortmund’s Jürgen Klopp.

Before anyone maintains otherwise, Klopp would have undoubtedly considered the move, despite the position he is currently in. While he would publicly maintain he can continue to evolve a Dortmund squad and point to the record he has of doing it and succeeding, how many more key players can he afford to lose before the pack of cards come tumbling down.

The similarities between the two managerial careers are astounding too. They both had their first real success turning lower league clubs of smallish towns into top-flight teams. Both Ferguson and Klopp sent their respective clubs (St. Mirren and Mainz) to the almost unheard of heights as a stable top-flight club.

Not only that, they both left those clubs in the kind of shape to continue to thrive without them as St. Mirren qualified for the UEFA Cup three times in the 1980s and then won the Scottish Cup in 1987 to make it a fourth foray into Europe within a decade. Meanwhile, Mainz continue to challenge for European places on a yearly basis after Klopp left the club.

For both, the move sent them to fervently supported regional clubs on the fringes of their domestic scenes. Dortmund because of poor financial management after winning the 1997 Champions League and Aberdeen because of the stranglehold of the Old Firm. Both went on to win the league and then retain them despite these unlikely restrictions, and then go on to have successful European runs, in Sir Alex’s case, lifting the UEFA Cup Winners Cup.

They also share one of the key Manchester United philosophies of generating their own young players through the youth system. At least one homegrown player has been in the United squad for 3,638 matches, while Dortmund have generated a swathe of young talent under Klopp akin to the ‘Fergie’s fledglings’ of the mid-90s.

One final key factor in Klopp’s favour is how comfortable he would naturally be with the fact that Sir Alex will retain a role at the club. This is simply due to the management structure operated in continental football, where there is a general manager above the head coach whose job it is to control finances and transfers. Those individuals normally become marginalised once a coach has the success that Klopp has enjoyed.

Ask most United fans what David Moyes’s main job will be this summer, other than just ensuring that the machine rolls on, and most would categorically state that it is to update a midfield held together by the final ‘Fergie fledglings’ – the retiring Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs.

Now, while there are many critics who spot the lack of depth outside the first XI at Klopp’s Dortmund, even they would not question it in a midfield area where he could field two sets of world class players, almost at the detriment of other areas of the squad.

Considering that, maybe having a midfield obsessed manager might just be what is needed for this midfield lacking side.#

Dortmund's Robert Lewandowski

‘Powershift!’ That was the word reverberating around European football when Borussia Dortmund completed an historic double for the German game over Spain’s big two by defeating Real Madrid 4-1.

Nothing could be further from the truth though. While Bayern Munich may well be taking over the mantle of the best team in Europe, Dortmund go into the game in Madrid knowing that Wembley will be the final chance for this group of players to make a Champions League Final.

To many who observe German football at close quarters, Dortmund’s Europeam success is based on quality rather than quantity. They possess only 15 top class players, so they are already walking an injury and suspension tightrope except in central-midfield where they seem well set.

This season we have seen the lack of depth in the squad meaning they are only able to compete on one front.

Admittedly, having just won back-to-back Bundesliga titles, European success was always going to be the top target. Even so, they have needed a miracle of Solskjaer and Sheringham proportions to make the semi-finals and they have right-back Lukasz Piszczek playing with a hip problem requiring surgery because they don’t have a back up at full-back.

Recent events suggest the squad will be reduced even further in the summer. While Mario Götze leaving for Bayern may not have such a big impact on the starting XI thanks to the highly talented Moritz Leitner, it is still another top drawer player leaving the club.

Jurgen Klopp will point out that this is part of Dortmund’s structure. Every year one big name is sold and they come back stronger. It happened with Nuri Sahin, it has happened with Shinji Kagawa, and now they will look for it to happen with Mario Götze.

Losing one name might still be recoverable, certainly for an assault on one front, if not on both domestic and European fronts, but this looks set to be the year that Dortmund lose at least two. The Dortmund board may be adamant that Robert Lewandowski will still be in North West Germany next season but his contract runs out at the end of next season and he has been very vocal that he will not sign another.

Dortmund may well be forced to cash in on Lewandowski this summer as a result. Dortmund do not have an adequate replacement for him with Julian Schieber having not been up to scratch since he was brought in.

That is not surprising though because Lewandowski is, what would be called in the football manager world, the complete forward – exceptional in every facet of forward play imaginable. Radamel Falcao is probably the only striker in the world game that can offer the same qualities, and Dortmund certainly won’t be able to compete in the market for the Atletico Madrid man.

With Lewandowski’s game all about being the lone forward rather than adapting his game into a partnership, this leaves the current tactical shape preferred by Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid as the place that would best suit both player and Dortmund (who will be desperate to send him anywhere but Munich).

Of course, the chances of this are about the same as the Portuguese boss still being in charge at the Bernabeu next season. Slim to none.

For Dortmund though, the magic dust is running out and the clock is approaching midnight on the magical period that has seen the revival of the 1997 Champions League winners under Jurgen Klopp into the team of the ‘football hipster’. It therefore seems appropriate that now they have gone mainstream, it is set to come to a crashing end. All that is left to find out is whether we get the fairytale Wembley finale.

Jose Mourinho is in need of one of those magic Champions League comebacks against Dortmund. Trailing 4-1 from the semi-final first leg, the Special One can only hope that their home advantage will be enough to inspire his Madrid team to pull off a miraculous turnaround.

Following the demoralising defeat in Dortmund, Mourinho maintained that they are still capable of making the final.

“Of course we can; on a crazy night, where everyone performs at a high level and every chance you have and every goal you score is with a high level of efficiency. Of course we can”

However, they will need to produce a far better performance if they want to stand a chance against a ruthless Dortmund side. The brilliance of Robert Lewandowski was central to Dortmund’s victory last week and if Real Madrid’s back four again fail to neutralise his lethal finishing and the creative talents of Mario Gotze and Marco Reus then it is surely curtains for the home side.

The only glimmer of hope for the nine-times European Cup winners lies with Cristiano Ronaldo’s away goal, which means that a 3-0 win on Tuesday would be enough to book a place in the final. Such a result is of course by no means impossible, especially for a team that have pulled off some of the greatest comebacks in European history.

Yet its hard to imagine Dortmund being overawed by a trip to the Bernabeu when they’ve already gone there and drawn earlier this season. Jurgen Klopp is positive his team won’t freeze on the night, his words of encouragement (which also sound suspiciously like the tagline to a second-rate movie) were; “The only way to reach your dream is to be brave”

Another concern for Mourinho and Madrid is the fitness of star man Ronaldo having picked up a knock during the first leg and missed out on Saturday’s derby with Atletico Madrid. He is expected to feature against Dortmund but if there was one game where you needed Ronaldo to be at 100% it’s this one.

Barcelona and Real Madrid fans don’t often get the chance to empathise with each other, but after both teams were trounced by German opposition in their respective semi-finals, they must be doing exactly that, and for Real, failure to reach the final will be all the more painful given that the Champions League is their last hope of major silverware this season.

As for Dortmund, with Gotze already set for a summer transfer to potential finalists Bayern Munich and Lewandowski also widely expected to leave, this Champions League campaign may prove to be the greatest leaving present any Dortmund fan could wish for.

With one of the magic three already gone, can Dortmund retain their other stars and become a European force?

After Borussia Dortmund’s 4-1 demolition of Real Madrid on Wednesday night, following Bayern’s 4-0 trouncing of Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals, some have hailed the dawn of a new German power shift, taking over from the two Spanish giants to become the best clubs in Europe for years to come. What these punters may have not realised however, is that there is one factor hindering this that has been commanding all the discussion off the field in the last few days.

For Dortmund, after all of their hard work in trying to cement their place among the European elite, are in grave danger of becoming a ‘selling club’. If they don’t make amends soon, they are in danger of having the limelight stolen back from them indefinitely. For a classic example of a team that so nearly conquered Europe, then sold key assets at crucial times, you need only look at one club. Arsenal, whose footballing philosophies Klopp has so admired, and partially utilised in the creation of this easy-on-the-eye Dortmund side.

The loss of the starlet of their academy, Mario Götze, to Bayern for a German record 37 million Euros is one that will drive a stake to the heart of the ‘Schwarzgelben’. The 20-year-old attacking midfielder was the proud protégé of his manager Jürgen Klopp, whom it seems has been personally annoyed that Götze was sold behind his back. In interviews regarding the transfer he has sounded quite bitter in alleging that ex-Barcelona maestro Pep Guardiola’s imminent arrival as manager at Bayern was the motivation behind his player’s move, rather than the vast success Bayern have enjoyed over Dortmund domestically this season. He has suggested, for example, that if he had been ’15 centimetres smaller and Spanish’ then his star man might have stayed put.

This echoes times when Arsène Wenger has delivered similar rants bemoaning the departure of his star players. It began with the Ashley Cole tapping-up saga and has continued ever since, culminating in Wenger in 2012 accusing Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy of destroying his plans to create a rejuvenated Arsenal side by jumping ship.

Then there is the case of Robert Lewandowski, BVB’s four-goal hero who ravaged the Madrid defence. There has been will-he-won’t-he transfer rumours linking him to also join Bayern throughout the whole season, and with the star striker’s performances in European competition, more foreign clubs have joined his long list of admirers. Now, with his agent saying one thing and his club saying the opposite, it is beginning to look like another of Wenger’s helpless situations last summer.

That came, of course, in the shape of Robin van Persie, where transfer speculation was so rife that a supposed deal was struck with Manchester City as early as mid-March. After a hefty transfer wrangle, of course, van Persie signed and helped win the title for Manchester United. The to-ing and fro-ing of the dealings made van Persie’s position at Arsenal untenable, and the same thing looks destined to happen in the case of Lewandowski this summer.

If Dortmund were to ever represent a long-lasting force for Germany in European football, Klopp and his chairman would have to be more resilient than Wenger and his. However, all the signs seem to show that it is already too late.

A final thought: what are the chances of Bayern announcing the signing of Lewandowski at a strategic time as well? Say, before the all-German Champions League final? Pep Guardiola would be rubbing salt into Klopp’s wounds before the two even got face-to-face.

With Bayern holding all the card then, in my opinion, a new German duopoly will end before it has even got started. However, under Pep Guardiola, a man used to managing the most dominant and feared team in Europe, there is absolutely no reason why Bayern can’t monopolise domestically and on the continent for years to come.

Robert Lewandowski, left, is crucial to Dortmund's chances of progressing to the final

As Champions League semi-finals go, Borussia Dortmund against Real Madrid is a dream come true for football fans. The teams have met twice already in the group stages, with the German side claiming a 2-1 home win and a 2-2 draw at the Bernabeu. With two of the finest teams in the world, the  game should provide an embarrassment of riches for the neutral.

The amount of attacking talent on display is pretty overwhelming; Dortmund have the likes of Mario Gotze, eager to prove he’s worth every penny of the £31.5million Bayern Munich have paid to sign him this summer, Marco Reus, and Robert Lewandowski, whilst Real will count on Mesut Ozil, Gonzalo Higuan and of course, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Jose Mourinho, in a typical display of Mourinho-ness, named his starting line up 24 hours in advance. He announced to the press in his inimitable matter of fact manner that he would be playing “Diego Lopez, Sergio Ramos, (Raphael) Varane, Pepe, (Fabio) Coentrao, (Sami) Khedira, Xabi Alonso, Mesut (Ozil), Higuain, Cristiano (Ronaldo) and hopefully Di Maria.”

With Iker Casillas again dropped to the bench, many Real fans will continue to question their manager’s relationship with the club legend. Also watching from the dug out will be Karim Benzema but he is one player who will almost certainly feature if Real decide to go on the hunt for a precious away goal.

Madrid will have to deal with the hostile atmosphere of the Westfalenstadion but as long as they can make the most of their notorious lightning quick counter attacks, Ronaldo and co. are more than capable of scoring against a Dortmund side that is comparatively lacking in pace.

As for Dortmund, they will almost certainly look to exploit the wide play of Gotze, Reus and Błaszczykowski, especially as Real’s first choice left back Marcelo has been ruled out due to injury so Fabio Coetrao will deputise.

It is also worth noting that Nuri Sahin may well feature in central midfield for Dortmund despite the fact he is on loan from their opponents. It seems that Real failed to include a clause preventing him from playing against his parent club; could this oversight come back and haunt Mourinho’s side?

This year’s Champions League semi-finals have been billed as the battle of the Spanish giants vs the German giants. Round one went emphatically to Germany as Bayern crushed Barcelona 4-0, and Madrid will look to even the score in Dortmund

Both Real and Dortmund have surrendered their domestic titles to their respective rivals leaving only the Champions League for any hope of silverware this season, so expect a no-holds barred encounter.

The last time Real Madrid swaggered on to the Old Trafford pitch they pulled off one of the great Champions League victories. It was the Brazilian Ronaldo who put United to the sword with a fabulous hat-trick that night, and now Alex Ferguson must be feeling a touch of deja-vu as he prepares to keep his Portuguese namesake quiet.

Ferguson (and every other football fan on the planet) is well aware of the danger Cristiano Ronaldo will pose on Tuesday night. When asked what his biggest concern about Ronaldo was in his pre-match conference, Ferguson quipped “My biggest concern is that he turns up.”

The former United player showed exactly why he is one of world’s most dangerous forwards in the first leg with his towering header past David De Gea to make the game 1-1. It is that ability to fashion a goalscoring chance out of very little, to find the net from the most awkward of angles that will add worry lines to United fans the world over. So what will Ferguson do to combat the threat of Ronaldo and his fellow Galacticos?

At the Bernabeu United deployed Michael Carrick and Phil Jones as a midfield shield in front of defence that, by and large, kept Real’s array of attacking talent quiet, but with Jones now injured it looks like Tom Cleverley will deputise. Cleverley will have to balance his attacking instinct with his defensive responsibilities against Madrid; push forward too often and he will leave his team-mates outnumbered in the face of Real Madrid’s lightning counter attacks.

It is of course inevitable that the likes of Ronaldo/Di Maria/Ozil/Benzema will fashion chances in front of goal, even a brick wall would struggle to keep a clean sheet against such a potent forward line. So Ferguson will have to hope that the confidence he has recently instilled in De Gea will pay off. The Spaniard produced one of his finest displays between the posts against Real and if they find De Gea in the same imperious form he showed during the first leg, United’s chances of victory will be boosted immeasurably.

Real Madrid may have been buoyed by two victories over Barcelona in the space of a week but in Ferguson’s United they face a very different beast. Much like the first leg Ferguson will most likely name an attacking line-up, however, the likes of Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck will serve as makeshift defenders when needed.

Breaking down a resilient United will prove even more difficult now they’re playing in front of 75,000 Reds rather than the familiar surroundings of the Bernabeu.

It is worth remembering that the Champions League is the last major trophy up for grabs for Jose Mourinho’s Madrid and United’s away goal means that they have to score if they wish to stay in the competition.

So will Ferguson take a leaf out of the young pretender’s book and set his team up to score on the break? The only thing we can say for sure is that with the amount of quality on show on Tuesday night, Old Trafford is in for one hell of a show.

Lukas Podolski could be key against his former club tonight

If you thought your Mondays were bad, then spare a thought for Arsene Wenger. The Arsenal boss had just seen his hopes of domestic silverware once again dashed and had the daunting prospect of preparing for their Champions League home tie against Bayern Munich tonight.

Wenger certainly wasn’t in the mood for talking in yesterday’s press conference; he refused to entertain any questions on the possibility of him extending his contract at the Emirates and went on to defend his team’s performance against Blackburn Rovers at the weekend. It would seem that the pressure is once again building on the Arsenal boss.

Arsenal’s last hope for a trophy this season is the Champions League, a competition which Wenger has never won. Standing in their way is a Bayern Munich team that boasts the likes of Arjen Robben, Frank Ribery and Bastian Schweinsteiger, and a side currently 15 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga. In comparison, Arsenal are fifth in the Premier League 21 points behind Manchester United.

Unfortunately for Arsenal, the German giants haven’t lost a game since October and are currently on a five-game winning streak. Its hard to look beyond Bayern in this tie given how dominant they’ve been since the start of this season, and there’s no mistaking just how desperate they are to win the Champions League. Ironically this may in fact prove to be their undoing.

The visitors go into the game as favourites with Arsenal very much seen as the underdogs, so perhaps Wenger can take advantage of a Bayern side labouring under the weight of expectation.

Arsenal are expected to field Jack Wilshere and Mikel Arteta in the middle with an attacking quartet of Walcott, Cazorla, Podolski and Giroud. Lukas Podolski may in fact be Arsenal’s secret weapon; he was deemed surplus to requirement at Munich back in 2009 so he certainly has a point to prove to his former employers.

One vulnerable area for Arsenal, however, is at left back. New signing Nacho Monreal is cup tied and Kieran Gibbs remains injured, meaning that centre back Thomas Vermaelen will have to fill in, which is especially concerning given that the wealth of talent Bayern have on the wings is enough to worry even the best of left backs.

Tonight may in fact be a defining moment for both Arsenal and Arsene Wenger. A resounding defeat at home to Bayern would only add more credibility to the ‘Wenger Out’ crowd, and perhaps make Wenger consider his future at the club. A convincing win, however, would no doubt silence some of the doubters and keep that Champions League dream alive for the fans.

The club have had to endure some heartbreaking European campaigns over the past few years. They lost to Barcelona and AC Milan despite giving it everything they had, and all signs point to yet another disappointing exit. It’s going to take a performance of the highest quality for Arsenal to beat Bayern, and for Wenger to avoid another early end to the season.

Amidst the slew of statistics and data thrown around prior to Manchester United’s Champions League meeting with Real Madrid, there was one rather ominous fact for United fans; Sir Alex Ferguson has never won an away game against a Jose Mourinho side. That record remains intact, yet the majority of United fans may well consider last night’s 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu almost as good as a win.

Despite the fact that Ferguson named a fairly attacking line up (Kagawa, Rooney, Welbeck and Van Persie all started) he was well aware that against Real Madrid, attack is certainly not the best form of defence.

As the first half hour drew to a close, it was Ferguson’s United that had put in the classic Champions League away performance; a well disciplined defence (even without Nemanja Vidic) and a goal from a set piece is precisely what every manager would want from a first leg trip to a hostile stadium. And Danny Welbeck once again proved his doubters wrong when he headed in United’s 17th headed goal of the season from a Wayne Rooney corner.

But of course, it had to be Cristiano Ronaldo who literally popped up with the equaliser. A magnificent leap (accompanied by some textbook ‘hang time’, as Gary Neville would say) followed by a powerful header was enough to put the sides level again. The former Manchester United star also had the class to keep his celebrations low key.

However, despite the equaliser United remained resolute in their defence. Ferguson has been managing in the Champions League for over two decades now, and a man with his experience can recognise how ruthless Real Madrid are on the counter attack. An organised defence and a midfield shield in the form of Michael Carrick and Phil Jones was just about enough to restrict Mourinho’s men to just the one goal.

When Real did manage to get their shots on target they were met imperiously by the often maligned David De Gea. Ferguson’s faith in De Gea paid dividends as the former Atletico Madrid man delivered one of his best performances in a United shirt.

United now have that all important away goal going into the next leg as well as the knowledge that their defence is just about strong enough to withstand Madrid’s array of attacking talent. Ferguson will, however, need to ensure that the likes of Van Persie and Rooney provide a greater attacking threat in front of the Old Trafford faithful.

Despite their new found friendship, I’m sure Sir Alex will be relishing the chance to best Mourinho once again. For all the chummy pre-match handshakes and respectful comments to the press, you do get the feeling that it’ll only take one contentious match for the Ferguson/Mourinho love in to collapse.

REACTIONS

Jose Mourinho: “Everything is open for the second leg and I think this will go to the last minute. If you ask me for a percentage, it’s 50/50. We can score more than one goal over there

“It was not a surprise, the match or the result. It was tactical for them not for us, they changed the way they played and [defended deep] in the second half. I don’t think Rio Ferdinand or Jonny Evans put one foot in our half…We are a team that normally has to chase the game but they did well and the result is open.”

Sir Alex Ferguson: “Real’s home record is outstanding. In the first half I was disappointed that we defended so deep to allow Real opportunities for shots and crosses.

“I think, as Jose Mourinho said, it is a 50-50 game now. It could go either way. It depends on who scores the first goal. The team that scores the first goal will have a good chance.”

Will Jose Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo prove Manchester United's downfall?

It’s being billed as ‘The Perfect Game’ by the people at Sky Sports.

This may be a touch over the top, but it goes without saying that Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson locking horns once again on the grandest stage is mouth-watering stuff, while the return of Cristiano Ronaldo to face the club that made his name such a global brand is quite the exciting twist.

But with Manchester United enjoying a record-breaking year clear at the summit of the Premier League and Real Madrid surprisingly languishing in third in La Primera, it is perhaps strange the Red Devils come into this epic tussle as underdogs.

Real’s season has been blighted with inconsistency and infighting, leaving them 16 points adrift of Barcelona and, even more infuriatingly for the board, still trailing city neighbours Atletico Madrid, a team they have not failed to finish above since 1996.

Five defeats in the league have been amassed with 15 games still remaining, while their Champions League group stage was not as straightforward as hoped, with only one point gained against an admittedly impressive Borussia Dortmund side, with that thanks to a last-minute equaliser.

But despite all of that, Real remain the highest scorers in this year’s Champions League, netting 16 goals in their six group stage matches, with eight of those coming against Ajax, who took United’s city rivals Manchester City to task and dumped them out of Europe altogether.

With the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, it’s also worth noting that Los Blancos have not lost a game on home soil this season, with only Barcelona and Valencia taking solitary points from their trip to the capital.

And if this historic Barcelona side cannot claim victory at the Bernabeu, it seems an uphill task for Manchester United to take anything away from their first leg encounter.

So how can Manchester United be the first team to defeat Real in their own backyard?

One would meekly put forward an argument that they should go on the front foot, neutralise their attacking gems by giving their defence something to worry about. Attack is the best form of defence, right?

Absolutely wrong. This is where Real Madrid tend to be at their most dangerous, soaking up a little bit of pressure, allowing the opposition to push bodies forward before countering at breakneck speed and delivering a hammer blow within seconds of the ball being in their own box.

Atletico Madrid suffered this blow, as they found their attack broken down before finding themselves a further goal down within ten seconds, as Cristiano Ronaldo applied the finishing touch in a 2-0 defeat of their rivals.

Alongside Ronaldo, Real boast Mesut Ozil and Angel Di Maria, two players who are at their very best when playing at speed, ably assisted by the likes of Marcelo, Sami Khedira and whoever gets the nod between Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain.

If given the opportunity, they can counter-attack at such speed that any defence left slightly open can be sliced apart like a knife through butter. Essentially, winning a corner is almost the worst thing United could do!

Instead they have to look at Real Madrid’s defeats this season and look at the approaches taken by opposition teams.

There is no way the likes of Granada or Getafe won by playing open, free-flowing football, while Sevilla took victory early in the season by playing a cagey style, as opposed to the battering they received at the weekend when playing with more open confidence.

The solution is to sit back, allow Real Madrid to build possession in a slow manner, which seems to hinder players like Ozil and Di Maria, who when given time to think about their actions prove to be slightly sloppy.

United have the players in their squad to be able to play Madrid at their own game and should they allow Real to commit players forward in search of a goal, can then break swiftly and punish them once they give the ball away.

Ruled out: Iker Casillas misses both legs with a broken hand

United will be boosted by the absence of Iker Casillas in goal, despite having brought in a reasonable understudy in Diego Lopez in the transfer window. Spain’s No.1 suffered a broken hand in the Copa Del Rey match with Valencia and has been ruled out of both legs, which is a massive blow to Real’s hopes.

Casillas will be the first to admit he has not had his greatest of seasons, but there is a certain aura that he emits around his penalty box, and St Iker will be greatly missed by his defenders.

In an attacking sense, Ferguson should be concentrating Real’s full-backs, with Alvaro Arbeloa and Marcelo both looking decidedly dodgy at times this year.

They both have a propensity to push forward in order to aid the flanks, leaving plenty of room for United to exploit should they get the chance, with neither the most astute defensively either.

If United are to come away with anything from this game, they will need their wingers to be at their flying best, while their central midfield will be required to be at their most tenacious, snapping at the heels of Khedira, Ozil and Xabi Alonso, not giving them the time and opportunity to deliver the sucker punch.

It’s going to be an uphill struggle for Manchester United to take much away from the Bernabeu, but providing they don’t play an open game, there is no reason why they can’t come away with a draw.

The prerogative has to be to keep things tight and ensure the tie doesn’t end up being over before they get back to Old Trafford.

It promises to be a fantastic contest, with two of the greatest managerial minds in world football coming face to face to do battle.

The perfect game tag might be slightly exaggerated, but it’s not a game to be missed.

Ronaldo will return to Old Trafford with Mourinho with the Champions League being Madrid's only realistic chance of winning a trophy this season

UEFA pulled off another barnstorming Champions League draw today, aided by the dulcet tones of Steve McManaman and a couple of chaps in some nifty blazers, and of course with all the pomp and circumstance we’ve come to expect from the world’s most illustrious club competition.

With the holders Chelsea and Premier League champions Manchester City eliminated after falling at the group stages, British football fans’ hopes now lie with Arsenal, Manchester United and Celtic. However it seems that all three clubs will be facing some decidedly tricky opposition…

The neutral football fan was handed an early Christmas present in the form of Real Madrid’s tie with Manchester United, a game that promises to reunite Sir Alex Ferguson with his former managerial sparring partner Jose Mourinho, and former star player, Cristiano Ronaldo. With Real Madrid struggling to crack the top two in La Liga, Mourinho’s attentions will be focussed firmly on a Champions League win this season, so United will have to be at their very best to triumph over the Spanish giants.

Having been eliminated by Barcelona in the knock out stages twice in the last four years, Arsene Wenger adopted an ‘anyone but them’ stance prior to this draw, luckily he got his wish. However, Arsenal managed to get last season’s beaten finalists Bayern Munich instead; they will have to contend with a well rested Bayern side (thanks to the Bundesliga’s six week winter break) and a team that is already running away with their domestic league. Arsenal fans will no doubt look to former Bayern player Lukas Podolski to help them overcome the club that deemed him surplus to requirements back in 2009.

Its clear that Neil Lennon’s Celtic have placed an increased emphasis on their Champions League campaign this season, and with that once in a lifetime home win over Barcelona still fresh in the memory, the Hoops will be hoping that they can replicate that kind of form against Italian champions Juventus. The Italians however are unbeaten in Europe this season so Celtic’s chances of progressing rest on their first home leg, they’ll need that hostile Glasgow reception (which proved too much for the likes of Barcelona and Spartak Moscow) in order to keep the Old Lady in check.

The other stand out tie of the round is surely AC Milan being drawn against Barcelona, both former winners of the competition. Milan may be experiencing tough times in Serie A (they are currently occupying 7thplace) but they’ve long proved a force to be reckoned with in European competition. And after the drubbing Italy received at the hands of Spain in the Euro 2012 final, I’m sure revenge will be on the minds of many an Italian come next February.

FULL DRAW

Galatasary v FC Schalke

Celtic v Juvenus

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

REACTIONS

 ”In terms of glamour it’s a beauty; in terms of qualification it’s going to be very very tough.”

- Neil Lennon on taking on Juventus.

“Oh yes, Madrid!! What a great couple a games that’ll be!! @Cristiano see u soon bro!!”

- Man Utd defender Rio Ferdinand on Twitter

“On paper, looking at it, I do not see us having any (British) side in the last eight.”

- Ray Wilkins on British Champions League chances

“We are now used to playing in Catalonia. We are improving and I’m sure we will continue to do so until February…This is the highest hurdle we could face but if we manage to pass it we can go all the way.”

- AC Milan sporting director Umberto Gandini on their tie with Barcelona