Champions League draw throws up reunions for David Beckham and Jose Mourinho

Published on Friday 18 December 2009 23:25

MANCHESTER United and Chelsea will both be reunited with old flames in the Champions League last 16 after being drawn against David Beckham's AC Milan and Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan respectively.

England midfielder Beckham, who won the Champions League with United in 1999 before joining Real Madrid in 2003, will be on loan at Milan from Los Angeles Galaxy when the sides meet over two legs in February and March.

Chelsea, meanwhile, were handed a similarly high-profile clash against former manager Mourinho's Inter.

The self-proclaimed 'Special One' led Chelsea to consecutive Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006 before surprisingly leaving early in the 2007/2008 season.

Should Beckham line up on the right side of Milan's midfield he could go toe-to -toe with United left-back Patrice Evra.

The France international was keen to welcome the former academy graduate back to Old Trafford but hopes the clash does not become overshadowed by the Beckham side-show.

"Who can say whether it will help or not the fact that all the focus will be on him?" pondered Evra.

"After all, when we played against Barcelona it was all Messi v Ronaldo. For us it is normal. The pressure is normal.

"I am more interested in playing against AC Milan than David Beckham."

Milan manager Leonardo knows his side will face a big challenge to knock out last season's runners-up.

"Both teams have Europe in their DNA and, looking back at our past encounters against them, they have always been exciting games to play and to experience," said the Brazilian.

"It is still early days to make any calculations because the game will be played in February and there is still a long way to go. Moreover, unlike past years, this season, there will be a bigger gap in terms of when the first leg and the return leg will be played."

The last time the sides met was in the 2006-07 semi-final, where Milan bounced back from a 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford to beat Manchester United 3-0 at the San Siro.

Mourinho, meanwhile, can expect an enthusiastic reception when he returns to Stamford Bridge for the first time.

However, current Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti might not be among the throng cheering his name. The pair were regularly at loggerheads while the Italian was still at AC Milan last season, but Ancelotti believes it is time to bury the hatchet. "If we don't have a good relationship, this game can be a good opportunity to return to a good relationship," said Ancelotti.

"There were some problems, some questions and discussions in the papers. Only this. Nothing important.

"I'm not ready to play mind games. I never will be ready to play these games. I prefer to play football matches. I have experience of what he'll do."

Inter president Massimo Moratti told www.inter.it: "For Mourinho to return to Stamford Bridge will be an added motivation. It will be a very strong motivation for him. It is better to feel strong motivations and against Chelsea there will be those."

Barcelona sporting director Txiki Begiristain was upbeat over the defending champions' prospects after they were handed a last-16 tie with Stuttgart.

"We're confident we can overcome them, but we cannot fall into the trap of being over-confident or of making big predictions," he said.

Bara's arch rivals, Real Madrid, have lost at the last-16 stage of the competition in each of the previous five seasons. Coach Manuel Pellegrini is optimistic his side will buck that trend against Lyon, but won't take anything for granted.

He told www.realmadrid.com: "To me they (Lyon) seem just as difficult an opponent as any of those we could have faced. But the most important thing is the form the teams are in at the time. We hope we will be at a good level."

Fiorentina sporting director Pantaleo Corvino was upbeat despite seeing his team drawn against resurgent Bayern Munich. "It is a good draw," he said. " Munich is a very strong side but so are we."

In other ties, Porto will take on Arsenal, Olympiacos face Bordeaux and CSKA Moscow tackle Sevilla.

EUROPA LEAGUE

Last 32 (18 and 25February): Rubin Kazan v Hapoel Tel Aviv; Athletic Bilbao v Anderlecht; FC Copenhagen v Marseille; Panathinaikos v Roma; Atletico Madrid v Galatasaray; Ajax v Juventus; Club Brugge v Valencia; Fulham v Shakhtar Donetsk; Liverpool v Unirea Urziceni; Hamburg v PSV Eindhoven; Standard Liege v Salzburg; Villarreal v Wolfsburg; FC Twente v Werder Bremen; Lille v Fenerbahce; Everton v Sporting Lisbon; Hertha Berlin v Benfica. Last 16 (11 and 18 March): Hamburg or PSV Eindhoven v Athletic Bilbao or Anderlecht; Rubin Kazan or Hapoel Tel Aviv v Villarreal or Wolfsburg; Atletico Madrid or Galatasaray v Everton or Sporting Lisbon; Hertha Berlin or Benfica v FC Copenhagen or Marseille; Panathinaikos or Roma v Standard Liege or Salzburg; Lille or Fenerbahce v Liverpool or Unirea Urziceni; Ajax or Juventus v Fulham or Shakhtar Donetsk; Club Brugge or Valencia v FC Twente or Werder Bremen.

VfB STUTTGART v BARCELONA

OLYMPIAKOS v BORDEAUX

INTER MILAN v CHELSEA

BAYERN MUNICH v FIORENTINA

CSKA MOSCOW v SEVILLA

LYON v REAL MADRID

PORTO v ARSENAL

AC MILAN v MANCHESTER UNITED

(First legs to be played on 16/17 and 23/24 February with the second legs scheduled for 9/10 and 16/17 March)