Ryan Giggs will make his 1,000th senior appearance tonight after he was named in the Manchester United starting XI to face Real Madrid, while Wayne Rooney has been left on the bench.
Sir Alex Ferguson has made four changes from the side which drew at the Bernabeu three weeks ago, with Rooney, Shinji Kagawa, Jonny Evans and Phil Jones all missing out, while Giggs, Nani, Tom Cleverley and Nemanja Vidic have been handed starting berths.
Real Madrid make just one change from the first leg, with Karim Benzema being replaced by Gonzalo Higuain.
Meanwhile, Ferguson has added to the excitement of tonight's clash between by insisting the reason he has yet to retire from football is to enjoy occasions such as this.
The tie is perfectly poised, as two of European football's heavyweights go head-to-head in the second-leg at Old Trafford to determine who will progress to the quarter-finals of this season's Champions League.
And Ferguson admits he is just as excited about tonight's match as the rest of the football world.
'This is what it is all about – a packed Old Trafford, the floodlights on, the pitch glistening and two of the greatest and most romantic clubs in the game about to do battle,' said the Scot in his programme notes.
'People ask me why I don’t retire after so many years in the game, but how could anyone with an ounce of passion for football in their soul voluntarily walk away from the opportunity to be involved in this kind of occasion?
'I like to think that the pioneers like Sir Matt Busby and Santiago Bernabeu, the president of Real Madrid who gave his name to their stadium, will be up there smiling and excited as the rest of us at the prospect of another dramatic night featuring the best that the game can provide.'
Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho, who has enjoyed a close relationship with Ferguson since his spell as Chelsea manager, yesterday said the 'world will stop' to watch this tie.
Manchester United: De Gea; Rafael, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Nani, Carrick, Cleverley, Giggs; Welbeck, Van Persie
Real Madrid: D.López; Arbeloa, Varane, Ramos, Coentrão; Alonso, Khedira; Di María, Özil, Ronaldo; Higuaín
Manchester United v Real Madrid: Twitter build-up
~Metro » Football | Metro UK~Read more... Manchester United v Real Madrid: Wayne Rooney drops to bench as Ryan Giggs reaches milestone
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