Both sides have had differing
league campaigns. Manchester United are currently twelve points ahead of
Manchester City at the top of the Premier League after their 2-0 win against
Everton on Sunday.
Real Madrid’s defence
of their La Liga title has not gone to plan however. They are currently in
third place; sixteen points behind Barcelona and four points behind a Radamel
Falcao inspired Atletico Madrid.
José Mourinho has
come under heavy scrutiny for Real Madrid’s poor league campaign. Despite this,
the Portuguese is still widely tipped to be Ferguson’s successor at Old
Trafford. Their head to head record is below:
Games
|
Percentage
|
|
Mourinho Wins
|
6
|
46.2%
|
Ferguson Wins
|
2
|
15.4%
|
Draws
|
5
|
38.4%
|
Total Games
|
13
|
Mourinho has a good
record against Ferguson. He recorded wins with FC Porto and Chelsea between
2004 and 2007. Ferguson triumphed the last time the two managers faced each
other in March 2009, with a 2-0 victory against Inter Milan at Old Trafford.
Mourinho’s team are favourites
for Wednesday’s game. Personnel wise, I believe that both teams are evenly
matched. However, Real Madrid are unbeaten at the Bernabéu this season, winning
fifteen out of nineteen games in all competitions.
Manchester United have
also never won at the Bernabéu; Arsenal and Liverpool in 2006 and 2009 remain
the only English teams to have recorded away victories against Los Blancos.
The
game has added significance as current Champions League top scorer Cristiano
Ronaldo faces his former club for the first time. He recently stated that the happiest time of his career was spent at Manchester United. Ferguson is still a huge
admirer of Ronaldo, but he has ruled a out a return for the twenty-eight year
old; he is simply too expensive.
Manchester
United have a slight advantage by playing away in the first leg. But, I believe that they
need to score at least two away goals to have a serious chance of progressing
in the return leg on March 3rd.
With players such as Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie in the team, this is entirely
achievable.
By Kelvin Jones
Follow me on Twitter! @KelvinJonesss
Sources:
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