One of the most anticipated matches of the Round of 16 in the Champions league will feature Real Madrid and Manchester United. The match not only features the two titans of the Spanish and English league, but a number of juicy story lines that people will surely be drawn to.
Cristiano Ronaldo to the Old Trafford where he rose to stardom and won number of individual and team awards makes a good first headline. Ronaldo has recently stated that he misses his old club and a great number of rumors are circulating about him moving back to Manchester over the summer.
The other major storyline heading into this bout is the battle of Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho. Mourinho looks to be on his way out of Madrid after tremendous turmoil and controversy followed the club all season. Many believe he will head to Manchester United and be the successor of Ferguson who is widely expected to retire at the end of the season.
The match will be determined by which defense is up to the task of defending the other squads dominant offense. Both Real Madrid and Manchester United have proven to have potent offenses, but their defenses have not been particularly remarkable. Manchester has allowed 28 goals in 19 English Premier League goals. They only have three clean sheets all year and have given up bad goals consistently. Ferguson's goal-tending is the weak link with the controversy between Andres Lindegaard and David de Gea.
Madrid has given up 17 goals in 17 Spanish league matches. While the stat is far better and the team has five clean sheets in few matches, they are currently undergoing a goalie controversy of their own and this one could potentially be more hazardous. With the Iker Casillas benching over the weekend, Mourinho has perceivingly put his position on the team into question. This could harm the team's chemistry as the warring factions within the locker room continue to widen and cause discord.
Conversely, Manchester United has scored 48 goals in the 19 matches and Madrid has scored 41 goals in 17 matches. Robin van Persie leads the team with 12 goals while Wayne Rooney has seven goals. Those numbers should significantly increase by the time the matchup takes place. The key for Madrid's defense will be to stop this one-two punch. The English side will also be getting Shinji Kagawa back by the time the matches come around and should help bolster their dominant midfield.
Madrid's top scorer is Cristiano Ronaldo and he has scored 14 goals on the season. Antonio Valencia will have the task of shutting him down, but even if Ronaldo is held in check the Manchester United defense will still need to deal with Karim Benzema, Mesut Ozil, and Angel Di Maria.
The X-Factor in this match is Real Madrid's unity. Manchester United is a fairly tight group under Ferguson. Many questioned whether Van Persie and Rooney could co-exist but the experiment has been a major success. Madrid is in complete turmoil and if the tension continues to mount, this club could sizzle on the pitch.
Match Days:
Feb. 13 At Madrid
March 5 At Manchester
History:
1957 European Cup Semi-final: Real Madrid won the first leg on April 11 by the score of 3-1 and the squad drew the second match at the Old Trafford 2-2 on April 24.
1958 European Cup semi-final: Manchester United won the first leg at home 1-0 on April 24 and the squads then drew 3-3 at Madrid on may 15.
The teams met again in 2000 during the Champions League quarter-final. Madrid and Manchester drew 0-0 at Madrid on April 4 but Madrid pulled off a stunning 3-2 win at the Old Trafford on April 19.
In 2003, the two sides met again in the Champions League quarter-final. Madrid won the first leg at home 3-1 on April 4. On April 23, United won 4-3 at home, but the away goals gave Madrid the edge in the tournament.