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Ferguson wary of Mourinho ‘mind games’

Sport
MADRID — Sir Alex Ferguson has told BBC Sport he will never take on fellow manager Jose Mourinho at mind games.

MADRID — Sir Alex Ferguson has told BBC Sport he will never take on fellow manager Jose Mourinho at mind games.

BBC/Football Focus

The duo will come face to face again today when Ferguson’s Manchester United meet Mourinho’s Real Madrid in a Champions League tie at the Bernabeu.

Ferguson told Football Focus that his former Chelsea rival “plays games too. He is brilliant at it”.

He added: “You are never quite sure what he is up to. I don’t go down that road. I let him get on with it. I’ve got to make sure I pick the right team, that’s the biggest challenge,” said the Scot, who guided United to Champions League titles in 1999 and 2008.

In contrast to United, Real are struggling in their domestic league, lying third in La Liga, 16 points adrift of leaders Barcelona.

But in Mourinho, who has won the Champions League with Porto and Inter Milan, and United old boy Cristiano Ronaldo, they are capable of causing United real problems.

The last two times these sides met in the Champions League was in 2000 and 2003. Both times, Real Madrid prevailed over two legs. The second leg in 2003 was a 4-3 Manchester United win. The English giants have never recorded a win at the Santiago Bernabeu.

This game will be determined by the superstars in both sides. Cristiano Ronaldo will be at his unstoppable best, having scored a 30 minute hat trick at the weekend to warm up. Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney are a strike duo that would strike fear into any team’s defense. They are the closest Manchester United have gotten to emulating the legendary duo of Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke.

The goalkeepers will play important roles in this game. Real Madrid will be without Iker Casillas, which puts a huge amount of pressure on Diego Lopez. As a former Atletico Madrid player, David de Gea would love to get one over Real. His shot stopping ability will be crucial, particularly against Ronaldo.

The landscape of this tie will be determined in midfield. Real Madrid should have an advantage in the area, with the likes of Khedira, Alonso, Ozil and Luka Modric all world class players.

United may not have the same star power, but Michael Carrick and Tom Cleverley have struck up a very good partnership and Phil Jones could play in there as a defensive midfielder. If those players can hold their own at the Bernabeu, United will be confident of progressing.

Uefa Champions League fixtures: Today: Real Madrid v Manchester United, 2145hrs Shaktar Doneski v Borussia Dortmund, 2145hrs