Madrid, Apr 09: Champions League matches such as Manchester United's quarter-final clash with Real Madrid now provide a spectacle even bigger and better than the World Cup, according to United manager Alex Ferguson. Ferguson was speaking in Madrid on Monday (April 7) on the eve of Manchester United's quarter-final first-leg clash with Real Madrid at the Bernabeu Stadium. "I think personally the European Champions Cup is now bigger than the World Cup because all the best players are in Europe, really. "So I think if you look at the record of the World Cup, all the stats (statistics) in the World Cup over the last three or four it doesn't compare anywhere near the Champions Cup in terms of entertainment, goals, excitement -- it doesn't come anywhere near it." The day began with Real Madrid's captain Raul speaking to reporters about the match. "It is a long-awaited qualifying round, I think, between the best two soccer teams in Europe, between the teams playing the best soccer nowadays. It is going to be an open qualifying match with two teams fighting for victory and playing good football. I hope this match is going to be a good one for our fans and also for Real Madrid," he told them.


Real Madrid coach Vicente del Bosque also spoke: "They are two teams with a lot of prestige and leadership in the world. During the past years and in spite of our leadership (Manchester United had never won in Spain till last year), they have stayed till the end in the European League.Their team is full of excellent players and so we all expect a great show."

Manchester United players arrived at Madrid's airport during the day and predictably midfielder David Beckham was mobbed by reporters, photographers, police and some squealing girls.


The players settled into their hotel and then trained at the Bernabeu stadium. Real, who won the European Cup for the ninth time in Glasgow last year, have the likes of Ronaldo, Raul, Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane all fit and in form, and will be favourites for a quarter-final meeting that would have done justice to any final.


The Spaniards are aware, however, that in Manchester United they are facing one of the few sides who can match them in attacking muscle.


Alex Ferguson's team are at the peak of their game, as demonstrated in their 4-0 demolition of Liverpool on Saturday, and in Ruud van Nistelrooy and David Beckham they have two players capable of carving open a vulnerable Real defence.


"And when you get a collection of players like Figo, Zidane, Ronaldo you are talking about a world-class selection. So it makes it an incredibly competitive competition there. And even for us we can bring Veron and Keane in an amalgamation of different nationalities. Giggs makes it selections rather than one country of origin," said Ferguson.


History suggests that whoever emerges triumphant from the tie will go on to beat Juventus or Barcelona in the semi-finals and win the final in Manchester.


The two sides have met three times in Europe's premier club competition and each time the winner has gone on to lift the trophy -- Real Madrid in 1956-57, United in 1967-68 and Real again in 1999-2000.


Probable teams: Real Madrid: 1-Iker Casillas; 2-Michel Salgado, 4-Fernando Hierro, 6-Ivan Helguera, 3-Roberto Carlos; 10-Luis Figo, 24-Claude Makelele, 16-Flavio Conceicao, 5-Zinedine Zidane, 7-Raul, 11-Ronaldo Manchester United: 1-Fabien Barthez; 2-Gary Neville, 6-Rio Ferdinand, 24-Wes Brown, 27-Mikael Silvestre; 7-David Beckham, 16-Roy Keane, 11-Ryan Giggs, 18-Paul Scholes, 8-Nicky Butt; 10-Ruud van Nistelrooy


Bureau Report