One thing is sure about today's Champions League quarterfinal draw: Whichever club is lined up to face Real Madrid, the defending champions will be in the tie of the round.
Having scraped through in second place in their second phase group, Real are faced with the daunting prospect of a last eight clash with one of three teams drawn from arch-rivals Barcelona, Manchester United and Valencia, the side who pipped them for last season's Spanish league title.
Under the rules for the draw each of the phase two group winners -- Manchester United, Barcelona, AC Milan and Valencia -- will be drawn against one of the second placed teams in the other groups.
Rules which kept teams from the same country apart in the earlier stages no longer apply, so as well as the tie involving Real, there is the possibility of Inter and AC Milan being drawn alongside each other. Or AC Milan coming up against Juventus.
Alex Ferguson would love to face Real Madrid in an Old Trafford final in May. But the Manchester United manager insists he does not mind who comes out of the pot today.
"At this stage it does not matter, you know whoever you come up against will be tough.
"I would be very happy if we are paired with Real. Facing teams like Real, Barcelona, Juventus and the rest is what the Champions League is all about."
Real flirted with elimination in both the first and second group phases, ultimately squeezing through thanks to a nerve-wracking 1-0 win on a potato patch of a pitch against Lokomotiv Moscow on Tuesday night.
But Ferguson is well aware that Zidane, Ronaldo and co are likely to step on the accelerator as the prospect of the club's 10th European Cup triumph moves into view.
"Real's history is all about success in European competition and they have some fantastic players in Ronaldo, Raul, Zidane and Roberto Carlos, all brilliant individual talents," Ferguson said.
"Playing them would be a big test but it would also be quite a challenge for them because we have grown in Europe."
Injuries and inconsistency have hampered United's attempts to re-establish their domestic supremacy this season.
But their exemplary performances in Europe -- capped by a memorable victory over Juventus in Turin -- have been testimony to the acquired knowledge of players like David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville, who between them have chalked up more than 200 appearances on the Champions League stage.
Significantly both Christian Gross and Javier Irueta, the coaches of FC Basel and Deportivo La Coruna, the teams United eliminated in the second group phase, believe this could be United's season.
"Along with Barca and Real, I'd say United are the strong favourites and they have the advantage of the final being at their own ground," Irueta said.
Barcelona coach Radomir Antic, admitted it would be perfect to delay a meeting with Real until the final.
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