Mijatovic & Suker talk up Real Madrid chances against Manchester United

Feb 16, 2013 3:57:00 PM

The Blancos could only draw the first leg of their last-16 showdown with the Red Devils, but the duo have confidence in the side's ability to turn the tie around

Former Real Madrid stars Predrag Mijatovic and Davor Suker remain hopeful that their former side can see off Manchester United in the Champions League.

The Blancos failed to make home advantage count in the first leg of their round-of-16 tie against the Premier League leaders, with a 1-1 draw being played out in the Spanish capital, and they now face the tricky prospect of going to Old Trafford without a lead.

But Mijatovic, who scored the winning goal in Madrid's 1998 Champions League final triumph over Juventus, told Marca: "Real should have won. They played well in the first half. United were lucky at the start.

"If the [Fabio] Coentrao ball had gone in... Real had more possession in the second half, but without much intent or ideas.

"Sometimes it's better to have the ball less and create more danger. It could still be anybody's. We shouldn't write Real off. They can win, of course they can win in Manchester."

Meanwhile, Mijatovic's ex-Madrid strike-partner Suker, believes there is still much to play for when the Liga holders travel to the Theatre of Dreams.

"I don't have any doubts [that Madrid will progress]. There is another game to be played. Real were strong in the first leg and got away without being beaten," the ex-Croatia forward added.

"But Real are capable of winning at Old Trafford. It is a good stadium to play and win at."

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Champions League final - LIVE!

German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will battle it out at Wembley for European glory. Get involved by sending us your thoughts via Twitter or Facebook! Hosted by Mark Doyle.

6:40 PM BST

And now the Bayern line-up! The only small surprise here is that Jerome Boateng has been preferred to Daniel van Buyten alongside Dante at the heart of the defence. As expected, Mario Mandzukic has got the nod up front ahead of Mario Gomez.

Bayern Munich: Neuer; Lahm, Dante, Boateng, Alaba; Martinez, Schweinsteiger; Robben, Muller, Ribery; Mandzukic.

6:36 PM BST

Borussia Dortmund have announced their starting line-up for tonight's Champions League final!! And it's as we predicted, with Kevin Grosskreutz starting on the left-hand side and Marco Reus moving infield to fill the void left by the injured Mario Gotze.

Dortmund XI v Bayern: Weidenfeller; Piszczek, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer; Gundogan, Bender; Blaszczykowski, Reus, Grosskreutz; Lewandowski.

6:31 PM BST

Questions rolling in for our own Carlo Garganese over on Twitter, the most left-field of which comes 'I'm Moeg, Sien jy! ‏@MurGyver 34s', who writes:

"Is it true that players can't wear underwear in the final?"

Surely you have to log on now for no other reason than to find out the answer to that cracking enquiry?!

6:26 PM BST

Bayern have arrived at Wembley! The legendary Lothar Mattheus will obviously be cheering on die Roten this evening, but he is just hoping that Fussball is the winner tonight:

"The whole world will watch the game," the World Cup winner told Sky Sport Germany. "It electrifies the masses. Never before there was so much talk about a Champions League final than this time.

"Both groups of fans know the whole world is watching. We have to present ourselves similar to the way we did at WC 2006 because it brings a lot of sympathy. Today we have another chance to present Germany in a positive way."

Unfortunately, there were reports of some clashes between rival sets of fans earlier in the day, but, happily, the atmosphere at the ground is wonderfully good-natured.

6:18 PM BST

Former Dortmund goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was present at the Champions League festival earlier and he is tipping his former side for the title: "I think Bayern are a little stronger but if I was to have a bet, I would bet on Dortmund because that would win me more money!"

However, our tipster Hugh Wilson reckons that the value is a punt on both sides scoring in the first half ...

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