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After a three week hiatus, the Champions League is back with a bang, and the indisputable biggest clash of the week would take place at Old Trafford as two European giants clash as Manchester United hosts Juventus.
The Red Devils are in indifferent form but come into the match off a morale-boosting draw away to Chelsea, while Juventus dropped their first points of the season in a 1-1 stalemate at home to Genoa in the Serie A.
A sub-plot and undoubted main story involve Ronaldo as the Portuguese returns to his former stomping ground where he cemented his status as a World Class player.
Ronaldo is a Manchester United legend, spending six highly successful seasons at Old Trafford where he became the first Premier League player in history to be named the FIFA World Player of the Year after his inspirational performance to lead Manchester United to a league and Champions League double in 2008.
He departed the club in 2009 for a record transfer fee to Real Madrid in 2009, but not before endearing himself to the heart of the Manchester United faithful after guiding them to a plethora of titles.
The Portuguese record goalscorer is always welcome back to Old Trafford anytime, evidenced by the heartfelt welcome he received on his return there with Real Madrid in 2013. It, therefore, came as a big blow to the world when Ronaldo stood in danger of missing the clash entirely curtsey his red card in his Juventus bow in the competition against Valencia which was also incidentally the first Champions League dismissal of his illustrious career.
Thankfully, the decision was rescinded to a one-match ban, and United fans would be glad for the opportunity to see one of their favourite sons, albeit in an opposing capacity.
Juventus despite their domestic dominance have been on a barren run in the Champions League for over 20 years, hence the decision to splash the cash to get Ronaldo, as it is believed that the 33-year-old has the ability to lead their charge.
Ronaldo is a goalscorer of immense proportions, breaking goalscoring records for fun, and his status as the Cham[ions League record goalscorer would see much banking on him to open his Champions League account for his new club against his former team.
However, there are certain factors which could limit his potency in front of goal at Old Trafford. Here are three reasons why Ronaldo might not score against Manchester United.
#3 His dismal record against Jose Mourinho
Ronaldo comes up against former coach turned adversary in Jose Mourinho, and for all of his goalscoring brilliance, the Juventus forward has generally struggled against teams managed by his compatriot.
Cristiano first came up against Jose as a teenager way back in 2003 during his days at Sporting Lisbon, and lost both clashes against Mou's Porto in the Portuguese Super League.
Both men met severally over the next few years, first in the Champions League where Porto dumped out United en route their unlikely UCL triumph in 2004, then later in the Premier League, as Chelsea led by Mourinho dominated Ronaldo's Manchester United and the rest of the Premier League.
Ronaldo finally tasted victory over Mou in 2005 at the seventh attempt, assisting Darren Fletcher for the goal in a 1-0 victory to end Chelsea's 40-game unbeaten run. It took nearly four years for another victory and his first goal as United triumphed over Inter in the 2009 Champions League with Ronaldo scoring a nodder.
That remains his only goal in 14 games against Mourinho till date, even though both men have just once since then (in the UEFA Super Cup of 2018 where Ronaldo played for just seven minutes).
Ronaldo has been the bane of numerous coaches throughout his career, as they plot for endless hours on how to stop him with their efforts most times being futile, but for some reason, Mourinho has his country man's pin code the fact that he coached Ronaldo for three years at Real Madrid could see Ronaldo struggle to score against him once again.
#2 Juventus generally struggles against English opposition
La Vecchia Signora (The Old Lady) is one of the genuine heavyweights of European football. Record Italian champions and three-time Champions League winners - means they are always in with a shout when the favourites for the tournament are being listed.
Their stranglehold on Italian football means that they are almost a ubiquitous presence when it comes to European football, and the Bianconerri have had more than their fair share of clashes with English teams across all European competitions.
Juve's overall record against English teams reads 17 wins, 14 draws and 15 defeats in 46 matches, but looking further in reveals the Italian giant's struggles particularly in two-legged ties.
In two-legged ties against English opposition, Juve's record reads 8 losses and 6 wins, while they had not triumphed against an English club over two legs in a UCL knockout clash before last season's phenomenal triumph against Tottenham.
Juventus have shown in the past to struggle against Premier League opposition in the Champions League, and this is a factor which could see Ronaldo fail to impact the match against his former club.
#1 His desperation to score could work against him
Juventus have been so dominant in the Serie A in recent seasons that they can comfortably win the title without the presence of Ronaldo, and the only reason why the Portuguese was signed was to give the club a shot at ending its poor run in the Champions League.
Ronaldo himself knows this, hence the grief on his face was evident when he received his marching orders against Valencia in his first match of the competition for his new club.
Despite getting off to a good start in the Serie A, scoring five goals in his opening nine matches, it is in the Champions League where he would be desperate to make his mark.
This quest to make a mark for Juventus is bound to be foremost at the back of his mind, and it could work against him, as generally whenever Ronaldo is desperate to score, he ends up with a selfish streak, shooting at will at the expense of teammates even when they are in good positions.
Generally, when Ronaldo is anxious to score, he gets frantic in his play and easily gets frustrated when things don't go according to plan and this desperation could be to the advantage of Manchester United as it could help them shut out their former attacker.
