Man Utd face Jose Mourinho and the curse of the holders

Inter Milan/Man Utd, 7.45pm, ITV1, Free Bets, Best Odds

The football in the last two Sir Alex Ferguson/Jose Mourinho encounters - in the 2007 FA Cup Final and the Community Shield three months later - may have been awful but there is no denying the sense of anticipation brewing as the two great managers prepare to collide once more. Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game:

GRAVEYARD OF THE CHAMPIONS
In each of the last four years, the Champions League holders have been eliminated at this stage of the competition. Inter Milan were the team who started that tradition by knocking out Porto four seasons ago. Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho’s first ever meeting came in the round of 16 five years ago, when Mourinho’s Porto won the home leg 2-1 before holding Manchester United to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.

PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS
Manchester United and Inter Milan last came to blows ten years ago at the quarter-final stage. On that occasion, Sir Alex Ferguson’s side played the first leg at home and won 2-0, before drawing 1-1 at the San Siro. On that day Nicola Ventola put the Italian side ahead in the 63rd minute only for Paul Scholes to equalise with two minutes to go.

MOURINHO v FERGUSON
Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson have butted heads on twelve occasions and the Manchester United boss has only come out on top once, in a 1-0 win at Old Trafford. Mourinho has won five times - once with Porto and four times with Chelsea - while they have drawn five times. One of those draws was in the 2007 FA Cup Final, which the Blues won in extra-time, and another was in the Community Shield, which Manchester United won on penalties. Ferguson has travelled away to face Mourinho five times, losing three times and drawing twice. Not since the first encounter against Porto five years ago has a Ferguson side scored away to one managed by the Special One.

EUROPEAN RECORDS THIS SEASON
While it wasn’t quite as spectacular as his 110 league game streak, Jose Mourinho had gone unbeaten in 51 home games in all competitions prior to a 1-0 loss to Panathinaikos in their last Champions League match at the San Siro.  Inter Milan were the worst performers of all sixteen teams to have qualified for the next round, having won two, drawn two and lost two of their six games. Manchester United by contrast are unbeaten in nineteen Champions League games. They have kept clean sheets in four of their last five away games in the competition. Inter have gone out at this stage in each of the last two seasons.

THE ENTERTAINMENT FACTOR
Mourinho’s Chelsea had a reputation for grinding out results and not being entertaining to watch but his Inter Milan side aren’t as bad.  Inter’s league games this season have featured an average of 2.44 goals compared to 2.29 in his first season at Stamford Bridge. But while Inter’s last three league games have featured three goals, this looks like being an under 2.5 goal affair. Seven of Manchester United’s last eight Champions League games away from Old Trafford have fallen under that mark as have Inter’s last four at home in the competition.

Posted: February 24th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn |