UPDATED Fans are already out in force in Manchester as tonight's big match looms. But Real Madrid will line-up at Old Trafford in their green change strip this evening to avoid a clash of colours - and their players are feeling uneasy about it.Their familiar all-white colours would clash with Manchester United's first choice white shorts and, with the hosts unwilling to compromise and wear black, Jose Mourinho's men have little choice but to wear their second choice kit.
It is the match 'the world will stop' to watch, according to Jose Mourinho. And it seems some fans are prepared to pay 'silly money' to watch Man United take on Real Madrid.
Man United are turning to Real Madrid's secret weapon as they battle to keep their Treble dream on track. The club's medical team have placed an order for an innovative aqua suit.
Sir Alex Ferguson has claimed matches such as tonight's Old Trafford tussle with Real Madrid are the reason he cannot walk away from the game.
NEW Former Chelsea favourite Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has thrown his support behind the clib's disgruntled fans in laying the blame for the Blues' current malaise squarely at the feet of interim boss Rafa Benitez.
NEW Rory McIlroy appears to have sent a defiant message to his critics over his meltdown last week. The world No 1 from Northern Ireland has come under fire for walking off the course.
Nicklas Bendtner has been fined 113,000 (£97,154) and banned from driving for three years for being over the legal drink-driving limit.
Craig Bellamy wants to become one of the 'greatest managers that has ever lived' after the Cardiff forward retires from football.
With Manchester United's Champions League tie with Real Madrid finely-balanced at 1-1, tonight's second leg at Old Trafford is set to be a close match. Almost as evenly-matched is the line-up off the pitch, with a selection of the players' stunning WAGs set to watch their boys in action.
Who's the top ranked club in the world? According to the International Federation of Football History and Statistics, an organisation recognised and supported by, although not affiliated with, FIFA, it's an English side... but it's not Manchester United.
There a few things more enjoyable for an English cricket fan than watching Australia squirm. For former captain Michael Vaughan the feeling is no different after they became the first nation to lose by an innings after declaring THEIR first innings.
Sportsmail's hard-hitting columnist delivers another Tuesday blast for Arsenal (of course), demands that Randy Lerner take an Aston Villa history lesson and has his fingers crossed that sneering Jose Mourinho comes a cropper at Old Trafford tonight.
Celtic assistant manager Johan Mjallby has warned his players to stay calm if they face familiar tight marking by Juventus in tomorrow night's clash.
Romelu Lukaku has revealed the commitment he has to becoming a top class football player and the restrictions it has on his lifestyle.
Patrice Evra is set to be offered a 12-month contract extension at Manchester United as a reward for his outstanding form this season.
Mircea Lucescu claims that whoever prevails when his Shakhtar Donetsk side meet Borussia Dortmund at the Westfalenstadion this evening will reach the Champions League final.
Javier Mascherano has compared Barcelona's disastrous form of the past three weeks to a 'visit to the House of Terror'.
Emmanuel Frimpong is in line for a free transfer summer switch to Fulham after being told he has no future at rivals Arsenal.
Few insiders are better positioned than 50 Cent to settle the argument over why Floyd Mayweather Jnr and Manny Pacquiao have never fought. But what was the rapper's response?
Former Liverpool, West Ham and England hard-man Neil 'Razor' Ruddock admits he like to bring Cristiano Ronaldo down a peg or two.
Paralympic silver medallist Jon-Allan Butterworth and the fiancé of cycling champion Mark Cavendish, Peta Todd, have launched a Hero Ride in London.
David Beckham will hope to play some part in Paris Saint-Germain's quarter-final second-leg clash with Valencia on Wednesday night. The French side will have to do without the banned Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
ADRIAN DURHAM COLUMN: I'll be disappointed if Mourinho wins tonight... Giroud is hopeless, Arsenal could have had a better striker for FREE...
Ferguson v Mourinho: Five encounters between the legend and the Special One
Sir Alex Ferguson has a poor record when facing Jose Mourinho's sides
As a Question of Sport hits 1,000 episodes, Sportsmail celebrates a national institution
A Question of Sport belongs to that elite group of programmes
JEFF POWELL: Just who is to blame for Mayweather's $200m superfight with rival Pacquiao not taking place?
50 Cent reveals all...
Watch out Wayne.. referee Cakir has sent off Terry, Balotelli, Gerrard AND Cahill
GRAHAM POLL: Cuneyt Cakir should be able to handle tonight's clash
MARTIN KEOWN: Varane can be the man Real need to stop RVP
I watched Real Madrid's win over Barcelona and again Raphael Varane stood out for me
Real Madrid pick right time to find magic touch
IAN LADYMAN: With the return leg of their Champions League tie imminent, momentum is beginning to gather pace
Luiz, Oscar and Ramires lift the lid on life in London (and you can WIN tickets to see them at Chelsea)
The trio are set to play at the Bridge for Brazil
Razor Ruddock: Football's changed... if you didn't drink, you didn't play for Liverpool in the Nineties
Retired hard-man reveals all in interview...
From zero at Chelsea to hero at Spurs: A year in the life of AVB...
LAURA WILLIAMSON: Tottenham's Portuguese boss's story is a script made for a movie
Ruud Gullit - The Footballers' Football Column: German teams are doing better in Champions League because they have homegrown players...
All to play for still at the top of the Championship
The race for promotion to the Premier League is far from over with 12 crucial games to be played on Tuesday night
VIDEO: Bring it on Becks! Finnish Football trickster Hurskainen challenges star to prove he's not faking it
Lassi Hurskainen wants to take on Beckham...
NASSER HUSSAIN: England must be wary of the underdogs' bite
After the hype of their last two Test series what is coming up will not feel quite the same
The Top Spin: 'Home comforts' offer England chance to embark on unprecedented run
LAWRENCE BOOTH is back ahead of the series starter in New Zealand
VIDEO: Watch out One Direction... the Golf Boys are back! Watson, Fowler, Mahan and Crane release new song
The American golf idols have reunited for charity
EDGE OF THE BOX: Ding ding, seconds out, round one...
It's Rocky v Raging Bull in the big battle to decide what is the greatest boxing movie of all time
See how Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo went from the skinny, goofy Portuguese prodigy, to the 'supreme athlete', planning to run the Manchester United defence ragged in tonight's Champions League showdown.
It's the clash of the titans; a game the whole world will stop to watch, so says Jose Mourinho. Who will prevail? Sportsmail's Spanish football expert PETE JENSON rates the two teams to establish - on paper at least - who has the firepower to win through at Old Trafford tonight.
It is nine years since we first met Jose Mourinho. Cocksure, full of bluster and with a team to match. Almost a decade on from that first visit to Old Trafford, as coach of European upstarts Porto, much has changed but, in other ways, little has changed, and now he returns with Real Madrid.
Manchester United have evoked the spirit of the sixties - and the magic of European nights at Old Trafford - with the programme cover for the Real Madrid match.
Cuneyt Cakir is experienced at handling scores of games in his native Istanbul, so he should be able to handle the white-hot atmosphere at Old Trafford.
The Real Madrid boss believes his fellow countryman Cristiano Ronaldo is nothing short of amazing, and has backed him to help dump former club Manchester United out of Europe.
I watched Real Madrid's win over Barcelona on Saturday and again Raphael Varane stood out for me. He must be the best young central defender in Europe.
It's a decade now since these two titans of European football met a last at Old Trafford - and it was a night that truly did 'stop the world.' Here's how Sportsmail covered the game.
Manchester United fans have been warned that their club could face a heavy punishment if laser pens are used to target Real Madrid players at Old Trafford tonight.
Should Real Madrid find themselves in a sticky situation after 45 minutes at Old Trafford, Jose Mourinho will know just what to say to his players.
Liverpool youngster Suso showed why he has plenty to offer the Anfield club with mesmerising dribble for the Under 21 side during their 1-1 draw with Southampton at St. Mary's.
| Teams | P | GD | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester United | 28 | 37 | 71 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 28 | 27 | 59 |
| 3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 28 | 16 | 54 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 28 | 26 | 52 |
| 5 | Arsenal | 28 | 21 | 47 |
| 6 | Everton | 28 | 9 | 45 |
| 7 | Liverpool | 28 | 19 | 42 |
| 8 | Swansea City | 28 | 5 | 40 |
| 9 | West Bromwich Albion | 28 | 1 | 40 |
| 10 | Fulham | 28 | -5 | 33 |
| 11 | Stoke City | 28 | -7 | 33 |
| 12 | West Ham United | 28 | -9 | 33 |
| 13 | Norwich City | 28 | -18 | 32 |
| 14 | Sunderland | 28 | -7 | 30 |
| 15 | Newcastle United | 28 | -11 | 30 |
| 16 | Southampton | 28 | -12 | 27 |
| 17 | Wigan Athletic | 28 | -22 | 24 |
| 18 | Aston Villa | 28 | -27 | 24 |
| 19 | Reading | 28 | -20 | 23 |
| 20 | Queens Park Rangers | 28 | -23 | 20 |
Rangers have reached agreement to sell the naming rights of Ibrox to Mike Ashley's Sports Direct. Ashley, the owner of Newcastle United, also has a stake in the Rangers International Football Club plc.
Russia coach Fabio Capello has denied he will replace Rafael Benitez at Chelsea. The Spaniard has become an increasingly isolated figure at Stamford Bridge.
The message from Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini was 'keep on winning' after his men beat Aston Villa 1-0. City returned to being 12 points behind leaders Man United.
Ian Ayre insists Liverpool are under no pressure to sell top players despite the club's accounts revealing their debt has risen to £87.2million.
Phil Jagielka is set to miss England's World Cup qualifiers this month due to the severity of the ankle injury he suffered against Reading.
Arsenal's long-serving youth academy director Liam Brady hopes manager Arsene Wenger will be given the funds to return the club to their former glory.
Diego Maradona is being targeted by defending Ligue 1 champions Montpellier, who want him to replace Rene Girard as manager at the end of the season.
Tottenham are interested in Feyenoord defender Bruno Martins Indi. The 21-year-old has been watched by club scouts and is valued at around £5.5million.
West Ham have joined Aston Villa and Everton in scouting Heerenveen striker Alfred Finnbogason, who has scored 19 goals in 22 games for his club this season.
Cardiff have announced there will be no changes to the club crest 'for the foreseeable future' after rumours of a potential re-branding.
SUNDERLAND 2
ASTON VILLA 0
SPURS 2
MAN UNITED 4
CHELSEA 1
WIGAN 0
EVERTON 3
SOUTHAMPTON 1
STOKE 0
SWANSEA 1
SUNDERLAND 2
ASTON VILLA 0
CHARLES SALE: The biggest names in the Barclays Premier League are being invited to play in a Ryder Cup-style golf competition between England and the Rest of the World in Las Vegas.
Roberto Mancini's relief at Manchester City keeping their slim hopes alive of retaining their Barclays Premier League title was tempered by another injury setback to Jack Rodwell.
Sportsmail has highlights from every Barclays Premier League match this season - watch the latest action on the video player
After Mousa Dembele's 90th-minute equaliser against Lyon, a stunning strike that sent Tottenham into the last 16 of the Europa League, Andre Villas-Boas was asked who would play him in a film.
When you're able to do scarcely believable things with a football, people are bound to think you're faking it. But Finnish trickster Lassi Hurskainen has hit back...
Barcelona have confirmed that they will be using the Qatar Airways logo on the front of their shirts, breaking a 113 year tradition of having no corporate sponsors there.
David Luiz, Oscar and Ramires lend the Chelsea line-up a Brazilian presence not seen before in the Premier League, and despite the current uncertainty at the club, spoke of their enjoyment playing in the capital.
Police have launched an investigation after a banana was thrown at Gareth Bale during the north London derby. Officers are working with Tottenham staff and reviewing CCTV.
Rangers are targeting Dundee United striker Jon Daly as they seek to bolster their squad for next season. Daly's deal on Tayside expires at the end of the current campaign.
Swansea may have pulled off the transfer bargain of the season when they signed Michu - but now Bristol Academy believe they have signed the female version.
Sergio Aguero may have split from Diego Maradona's daughter earlier this year, but the Argentina legend has still backed the Manchester City striker to join Real Madrid.
David Gold vowed to continue putting his 'life savings' into West Ham United after it was revealed that he and co-owner David Sullivan injected £35.2m to keep the club in business.
Dean Saunders is refusing to heap further pressure on Wolves' players after owner Steve Morgan revealed the club has not budgeted for life in League One.
England have not exactly banned the 'A' word but they would be well advised to forget all about the Ashes when they take on those perennial, pesky underdogs New Zealand.
The challenge for England will be their mindset. After the hype and intensity of their last two Test series against South Africa and India, what is coming up will not feel quite the same.
If you were an England Test cricketer, now is roughly the moment you'd hope to be ushering your career from the sunnyish uplands in the general direction of the snow-kissed peaks.
It felt like Christmas for Stuart Lancaster on Monday. His England squad reconvened in Surrey with three wins in this RBS Six Nations and a sudden, welcome addition to the ranks in the shape of a returning Lion.
Sam Warburton returns to the Wales team at the expense of Justin Tipuric for the weekend's trip to Murrayfield - but Ryan Jones remains captain.
England skipper Chris Robshaw has emerged as the favourite for the leadership role in Australia this summer on the back of his sterling work in the RBS Six Nations.
Wales lock Ian Evans has admitted he does not envy Rob Howley's second-row selection task for the RBS 6 Nations clash against Scotland next week.
Scotland's interim head coach Scott Johnson has recalled Euan Murray and Alasdair Strokosch to his squad for this Saturday's RBS Six Nations clash with Wales.
Tom Wood has been one of the stars of England's successful RBS Six Nations campaign, but his talents do not end with rugby.
A hip-hop beat, some boy-band dance moves and (almost) a bit of the Beach Boys. It can only mean one thing - the Golf Boys are back. You can watch their new video here.
The wait to see heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko defend his plethora of titles against a meaningful opponent looks set to continue after he announced he would face the untested Francesco Pianeta in Mannheim on May 4.
India took a 2-0 series lead against Australia as the tourists slumped to an innings and 135-run defeat in the second Test in Hyderabad with close to two days to spare.
Lauren Silberman kicked her way into NFL history books on Sunday, but not in the manner she would have liked. Frustrated and maybe a bit embarrassed, Silberman fought back tears after she became the first woman to try out at a regional combine, but she lasted all of two kicks - neither of which travelled 20 yards.
Inspired by Sachin Tendulkar's presence at the season-opening tournament in India, the stars of the Challenge Tour attempt to knock down the wicket from 22 yards away.
Great Britain scooped both 4x400m titles at the European Indoor Championships as the team signed off a successful three days of competition in dramatic fashion.
British light-middleweight champion Brian Rose will face Joachim Alcine on April 20. The 28-year-old has won his last eight fights since a surprise defeat to Max Maxwell.
The 2010 Gold Cup winner Imperial Commander has had to pull out of next week's race with a lung infection, trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies hoping he can make the Grand National.
Wakefield winger Ben Cockayne is the only new face in England's 30-strong elite training squad. Cockayne has been the stand-out winger in the Super League so far.
The NBA will return to England after Manchester was included among six cities to host a pre-season game - Oklahoma City Thunder against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 8.
BEHIND THE SCENES WITH HASTINGS
CRICKET... WITH GOLF CLUBS!
TIGER'S MIRACLE PAR FROM THE POND
EVEN BETTER THAN BALE!
FOWLER SMACKED IN FACE BY SNOWBALL
NINE PUTTS SINK INTO SAME HOLE
WRESTLING MOVES GOAL CELEBRATION
SWANN'S SWING NEED SOME WORK!
TABLE TENNIS SHOWBOATING
LEBRON CELEBRATES $75K BASKET
TIGER'S EMBARRASSING DRIVE
LINO TELLS CITY STARS TO THANK FANS
HENRY SHOWS OFF IN FUTSAL MATCH
A VERY GENTLEMANLY PROTEST AT RUGBY
MIROSLAV STOCH WINS PUSKAS AWARD
BEHIND THE SCENES WITH HASTINGS
CRICKET... WITH GOLF CLUBS!
ALAN FRASER: A Question of Sport belongs to that elite group of BBC television programmes which have become national institutions and, like Sports Personality of the Year, for example, have assumed the status of protected species.
Depressed Arsenal fans in need of reminding that when you're down you're not always out should have tuned in to Boxing At The Movies: Kings of The Ring, a reminder of the greatest fight films in Hollywood history.
The Holland legend on why English clubs have under-performed in Europe and blames the influx of foreigners in the English game. He also questions why Arsenal have not been able to strengthen their squad over recent years. And has sympathy for Paul Gascoigne.
RALPH ELLIS tells us what we learned from the weekend's football... with some star turns but a look through the leagues too.
Chelsea supporters can boo as loudly as they like - they've paid their money after all. But the first thing to say is that pretty much everything Rafa Benitez said was right.
Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd
Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group
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