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Van Nistelrooy torn between Manchester United & Real Madrid after Champions League draw
Dec 20, 2012 1:20:00 PM
The retired 36-year-old Netherlands forward played for both clubs during the peak of his club career between 2001-10 and found it difficult to pick a favourite for the tie
| Bet: | Returns: | Real Sociedad £25.50 | Draw £34.00 | Real Madrid £27.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Real Sociedad £24.00 | Draw £34.00 | Real Madrid £28.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Real Sociedad £25.00 | Draw £35.00 | Real Madrid £26.25 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Real Sociedad £24.00 | Draw £34.00 | Real Madrid £28.00 |
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Former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker Ruud van Nistelrooy says it is “impossible” to choose between the two sides after they were paired together in the Champions League last 16 draw.
The undoubted glamour tie of the round will see Cristiano Ronaldo return to Old Trafford for the first time as a player since his departure in 2009, with the first leg on February 13 at Bernabeu before the second leg at Old Trafford on March 5.
THE DRAW IN FULL
Galatasaray v Schalke
Celtic v Juventus
Arsenal v Bayern Munich
Shakhtar v Borussia Dortmund
AC Milan v Barcelona
Real Madrid v Manchester United
Valencia v Paris Saint-Germain
Porto v Malaga
First legs will be played on either February 12/13 or19/20, with the return legs on March 5/6 or 12/13.
"United or Madrid… Who do I want to win? Played my heart out for them both. Proud to have played for both. #impossible #MayTheBestTeamWin," Van Nistrelrooy tweeted.
Despite the stature of the two sides, their domestic campaigns are not identical; United are currently top of the Premier League table, six points clear ahead of nearest rivals Manchester City, while Real Madrid sit 13 points behind Barcelona in third.
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Slideshow
With the ties for the last 16 of Europe's top competition decided by Uefa, Goal.com's Peter Staunton looks at those who have benefited most from Thursday's draw, with Bayern Munich set to face Arsenal, Real Madrid to play Manchester United and AC Milan to lock horns with Barcelona once more
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Real Sociedad - Real Madrid CF
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Live!
Real Madrid press conference - LIVE!
Catch the latest news from the Spanish capital as Jose Mourinho's time at Santiago Bernabeu nears its end. Get involved by sending us your thoughts via Twitter or Facebook! Hosted by Joe Wright.
6:32 PM BST
Club president Florentino Perez will lead proceedings tonight, with the press conference due to start properly at 20:00 CET. We'll have all the latest from the event as well as all the fall-out from any potential important revelations (which, you feel, might just include something to do with the man below...)
6:30 PM BST
Good evening and welcome to Goal's LIVE! coverage of Real Madrid's press conference from the Spanish capital. Could this be the end of Jose Mourinho's tenure at the club? Stay with us for all the latest!
11:45 PM BST
And on that note I will leave you all! I won't be back next week for another run of the Goal LIVE blog for the Champions League final, but fear not as the legendary Mark Doyle will be entrusted with the role of taking you through all the twists and turns as they happen at Wembley!
I've been Livio Caferoglu on a night in which Chelsea have been crowned European title victors for a successive campaign, and it's good night to you all. Ciao!
I've been Livio Caferoglu on a night in which Chelsea have been crowned European title victors for a successive campaign, and it's good night to you all. Ciao!
11:35 PM BST
More Benfica reaction now - this is what midfielder Nemanja Matic told reporters after the Eagles crashed to a heartbreaking 92nd-minute defeat at the Amsterdam ArenA earlier this evening:
"We played a good game. We played very well, we had more possession and played dangerously in Chelsea's box, but we lacked luck in the end. I can only congratulate Chelsea for the victory, but we didn't lack quality. I still think we played well, we were the best team. We had more control and opportunities to score, but had no luck. The best team doesn't always win."
11:30 PM BST
And last but CERTAINLY not least in the Chelsea corner, it's Branislav Ivanovic whose set-piece heroics in stoppage time clinched a second straight European title for the English giants - courtesy of ITV!
"It's a great feeling. This team deserved this, because we have had a very difficult season and a lot of games. In the end, today was a very hard game and Benfica played very well. But we scored from set pieces and work very hard preparing that part of our game. We deserve that trophy."
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