Red Devils and Dragons await fiery rematch

UEFA Champions League holders Manchester United FC may have lost two of their three previous ties with FC Porto, but manager Sir Alex Ferguson was happy to be drawn against them in the quarter-finals.

Home advantage
"This is a good draw for us," said Sir Alex, whose side will kick off the tie at Old Trafford on 7 April. "You sometimes wonder if being at home first is a good or a bad thing but I think in this modern-day competition there's no indication of what is better. The only thing you hope is that you don't lose a goal in the home tie." Though Ferguson is undecided, history shows that the side hosting the opening match in ties between these two clubs in UEFA club competition has always gone on to win.

Portuguese accent
United boast Portuguese talent in the form of Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani while Brazilian midfielder Anderson joined the Reds from Porto in 2007. Sir Alex feels that will help as his side look to avenge their exit at the hands of the Dragons in the first knockout round of the 2003/04 edition, when Porto went on to lift the trophy under José Mourinho. "We've met Porto before and obviously we respect any Portuguese team," said Sir Alex. "We have had a huge Portuguese influence in the club, firstly with [former assistant manager] Carlos Queiroz but now with Cristiano and Nani. So we understand Portuguese football."

Daunting draw
The draw is a daunting one for Porto, but the Liga champions have the upper hand in terms of previous meetings with United. They beat the Red Devils 6-5 on aggregate in their first meeting, a 1977/78 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup second-round tie, and while they lost out to Sir Alex's side in the 1996/97 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, the 2003/04 victory left them on top in statistical terms. Vítor Baia, the club's goalkeeper in both legs of that latter success and now Porto's director of international relations, is certainly not cowed by the prospect of a game against United. The 39-year-old said: "We are an ambitious club and we want to make the semi-final. Last time we played them it was a great performance and we will try to do the same again."

'Different world'
Porto coach Jesualdo Ferreira, meanwhile, was concerned that the prospect of facing United might distract his side from their domestic programme, but said: "I will not rest anyone as there will be no easy games." However, he knows that his charges will be up against it when they face the European champions, with the second leg scheduled for 15 April. "Results are unpredictable and anything can happen," he said. "The differences between FC Porto and Manchester United are huge. They don't have a better European pedigree than us but they live in a different world."