SIR ALEX Ferguson joked he will have to order some fine wine after Manchester United were drawn against his old adversary Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid in a Champions League contest that will see Cristiano Ronaldo return to Old Trafford for the first time.
The two managers had a tradition of sharing a glass of red after their teams’ encounters in the Premier League though Ferguson described the first wine Mourinho ever provided him as being “like paintstripper”.
Mourinho made amends with a £300 bottle of Portuguese red the next time around, and the last-16 match in the Champions League should be as mouthwatering as the wine.
Ferguson told the club’s official website: “Well, it’s the tie of the round. It’s a great opportunity for our fans to see Cristiano again and also for me to meet up with Jose again. I’ll need to order some good wine!”
United will hope there was a lucky omen in the draw their one victory over Real Madrid in the European Cup was the year they first won the final, also at Wembley where next year’s final will be held, in 1968.
The only other English side Arsenal will face last season’s beaten finalists Bayern Munich while Celtic will take on Italian champions Juventus as they look for a place in the quarter-finals.
In the other matches, Barcelona will take on AC Milan, German champions Borussia Dortmund face Shakhtar Donetsk, Valencia play Paris St Germain, Porto encounter Spanish side Malaga and Galatasaray will come up against Schalke.
United have a slight advantage over Real in that as group winners they will get to play the second leg at home.
Arsenal and Celtic, who were group runners-up, will both play the second legs away.
Arsene Wenger’s Gunners last met at Bayern Munich at the same stage in 2005, with the German side progressing 3-2 on aggregate.
It will mean a meeting for Lukas Podolski with one of his former clubs and he acknowledged Bayern’s pedigree.
“They played in the final in 2010 and last year,” he told the club’s website.
“It’s a big club but we have the chance to win against Bayern Munich.”
United will play the first leg at the Bernabeu on February 13 with the return at Old Trafford on March 5.
Arsenal will play a week later with the first leg at the Emirates Stadium on February 19 and the second at the Allianz Arena in Munich on March 13.
Celtic will take on Juventus at Celtic Park on February 12, with the return leg in Turin on March 6.