In a couple of hours, the world will stop for 90 minutes to watch the conclusion of one of the most hotly anticipated football match-ups in recent times.
Two of the world's most followed teams, Manchester United and Real Madrid will take each other on in the 2nd leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie at Old Trafford with the score currently 1-1 although Manchester United have the key edge of that 1 away goal thanks to Danny Welbeck's first half header at the Bernabeu.
On paper, Manchester United appear to have the advantage in this tie and Real Madrid are the ones who must chase down at the very least an away goal to get themselves level in the tie.
However, this is Real Madrid we're talking about - the same Real Madrid who are quite accustomed to taking early leads at Old Trafford, and the same Real Madrid who beat Barcelona twice in the space of a few days including at the Camp Nou where Barcelona had been unbeaten this season.
In fact, signs of what Real Madrid can do were evident in that game, with the Meringues playing the perfect counterattacking game against the hosts to take a shock 3-0 lead in their Copa Del Rey semifinal tie in the toughest arena they'd yet face this season. The funny thing is that Barcelona and Real Madrid had drawn 1-1 in the first leg of their Copa Del Rey semifinal tie at the Bernabeu.
However, there will be different factors that Real Madrid will have to overcome - and factors that Manchester United will have in their favour. The biggest of them all is Ronaldo coming home for the first time since his multi-million dollar move to Madrid in 2009.
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| Ronaldo's highlight in the United red |
There is no doubt that Ronaldo was a huge hit at Old Trafford and his move to Real Madrid was only a natural progression for a player who wanted to achieve greater things in his career. When Ronaldo walks out of the tunnel at Old Trafford, he will be mostly cheered by the crowd but when the ball is kicked off in action, he will probably be greeted by jeers and his former teammates keen to show him what he has missed in the last 4 years.
How Ronaldo reacts to this will be vital to Real Madrid's chances of progressing in the Champions League and ensuring one more trophy besides the Copa del Rey. Ronaldo's pace and trickery in midfield will be key if Real Madrid are to successfully employ the same tactics they did against Barcelona. History isn't exactly kind to Ronaldo on the massive occasion although a EURO 2012 semifinal might have shown us that Ronaldo can perform in do-or-die situations.
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| Ronaldo celebrates his hat-trick at Old Trafford in 2003 |
Ronaldo will have to emulate his namesake's performance 10 years ago - then the great Brazilian striker scored a wonderful hat-trick to all but sink Manchester United's hopes in the Champions League that year. Only a few seasons before, the great Raul did the same.
So what's the final call on this tie? Too tough to call. It won't be goal-less though. I'd say a 3-2 win to Manchester United and the winner will be quite dramatic.
In the other games...
Like Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund know that the Champions League is their last chance for glory this season - although Dortmund no longer have a domestic cup to console themselves like Madrid. They face a Shakhtar Donetsk side whose defence leaves much to be desired and will be severely tested at a jam-packed and noisy Westfalenstadion. Lewandowski to hand Dortmund to key edge in a 2-1 win.
Juventus are pretty much through and could make the aggregate score quite ugly for Celtic fans - 3-0 at home to make it 6-0 on aggregate.
PSG just to nick it ahead of Valencia at home.
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