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When the draw for the UEFA Champions League round of 16 took place in late December, the clash which stood out was Manchester Utd vs. Real Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo returns to face his old team. Jose Mourinho in a recent press conference also said, “This is the clash that the world is waiting to see.”
Key Players who will decide the fate of this tie.
1) Cristiano Ronaldo
When this tie was announced, he was the first person that sprung into my mind. Ronaldo returns to face his former club whom he apparently misses, but Ronaldo would be biggest hurdle that Sir Alex faces in his quest of winning the Champions League. Ronaldo has been in hot form of late with 13 goals in 9 matches. If he can keep his emotions in control, he can dominate in this fixture.
2) Robin van Persie
Ever since leaving Arsenal, RVP has been in immense form and has formed a lethal combination with Wayne Rooney. The Golden Boot winner from last season, RVP has already found the net 26 times for his new club and is one of the world”s top striker at the moment and was unfortunate to not feature in the World Team of the year selected by FIFA which had players only from the La Liga.
3) Xabi Alonso
The Spanish Maestro has been an integral part of the Real Madrid team and will be handed the job to stop Manchester United“s midfield forming a stranglehold in the match.A lonso has played against United before where he was a part of United’s bitter rivals Liverpool. Alonso has also stated that he might leave Real Madrid to return to Liverpool. He would like to win the Champions League just like he did with his previous club Liverpool.
4) David de Gea
The Spanish Goalkeeper has been in tremendous form for the Red Devils recently ever since the mistake against Tottenham Hotspurs. Early in the season SAF had a choice between de Gea and Danish Goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard, but with an injury to the latter, de Gea has cemented his place in the Utd starting line up. de Gea played for Real”s city rivals Atletico Madrid and would not like to have a bad outing in this fixture.
