Sir Alex Ferguson cannot wait to meet up with Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho again - he just hopes their latest Champions League showdown ends in better fashion for Manchester United.
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The holders have been pitted against the Serie A title winners in the last 16 draw.
It represents the toughest of ties but more intriguingly will see Mourinho return to England in a competitive game for the first time since he was sacked by Chelsea 15 months ago.
Mourinho also knows he has had the better of his personal clashes with Ferguson, winning the 2007 FA Cup final and a Carling Cup semi-final two years previously, plus a title-clinching three-goal triumph at
Old Trafford three seasons ago.
And it was also against United that Mourinho catapulted himself into the elite list of coaches in Europe, when his Porto side eliminated the Red Devils at this same stage of the competition en route to their final triumph over Monaco in 2004.
That succession of losses ensures that while Ferguson will be happy to be reunited with a man some have predicted may eventually succeed him at Old Trafford, the Scot will be determined to win.
"It will be interesting to come up against Jose again,'' Ferguson told MUTV. "He is a character with a good personality and I have always got on well with him.
"He knocked us out of the competition when he was at Porto, so I hope we have the luck they had in that tie this time around.''
Ferguson has not forgotten an incorrectly disallowed Paul Scholes goal cost his side dear in the deciding leg at Old Trafford.
The Scot knew he was in for a tough tie with three matches still to be drawn as the only other side United could have got was Real Madrid.
Given Ferguson's outspoken comments on the Spanish giants yesterday and their continued pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo, it is perhaps just as well United ended up with Inter.
And, recalling last season's tense semi-final clash with Barcelona, the Red Devils chief is not too displeased at the outcome.
"Playing against the bigger teams brings a better focus and concentration to our game as we showed against Barcelona last season,'' said Ferguson. "We knew the most important thing we had to do in that tie was to concentrate and our concentration in both games was terrific.''
Familiar names like Hernan Crespo, Luis Figo and Sulley Muntari need no introduction to the Old Trafford faithful, while former Arsenal star Patrick Vieira will get his usual warm reception in memory of all those amazing midfield battles with Roy Keane.
"They have had a tremendous domestic record in recent years,'' observed Ferguson of Inter's three successive title triumphs, including the first which was handed to them by default when Juventus were stripped of the honour amid the match-fixing scandal that saw them relegated.
"They have also got a lot of experience in their team which includes quite a few South American players.
"In fact I think they have only got two Italians in their team. That in itself represents a tough challenge because you know that South American players defensively are always very tough and resilient players.''
Ferguson does know Inter were defeated at the quarter-final stage when United went on to win the competition in 1999, the last time the two sides met in competitive combat.
And, as usual, he feels a positive result in the first leg at the San Siro will be crucial.
"Hopefully we can do the job there in the first game and give ourselves a platform to take back to Old Trafford,'' he said. "The San Siro is a great stadium to play in. We've lost two semi-finals to AC Milan there so we want to go there and do better.
"This is the stage when the competition gets going and I think all the English teams have a good chance. I'm happy with our draw.''
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The holders have been pitted against the Serie A title winners in the last 16 draw.
It represents the toughest of ties but more intriguingly will see Mourinho return to England in a competitive game for the first time since he was sacked by Chelsea 15 months ago.
Mourinho also knows he has had the better of his personal clashes with Ferguson, winning the 2007 FA Cup final and a Carling Cup semi-final two years previously, plus a title-clinching three-goal triumph at
Old Trafford three seasons ago.And it was also against United that Mourinho catapulted himself into the elite list of coaches in Europe, when his Porto side eliminated the Red Devils at this same stage of the competition en route to their final triumph over Monaco in 2004.
That succession of losses ensures that while Ferguson will be happy to be reunited with a man some have predicted may eventually succeed him at Old Trafford, the Scot will be determined to win.
"It will be interesting to come up against Jose again,'' Ferguson told MUTV. "He is a character with a good personality and I have always got on well with him.
"He knocked us out of the competition when he was at Porto, so I hope we have the luck they had in that tie this time around.''
Ferguson has not forgotten an incorrectly disallowed Paul Scholes goal cost his side dear in the deciding leg at Old Trafford.
The Scot knew he was in for a tough tie with three matches still to be drawn as the only other side United could have got was Real Madrid.
Given Ferguson's outspoken comments on the Spanish giants yesterday and their continued pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo, it is perhaps just as well United ended up with Inter.
And, recalling last season's tense semi-final clash with Barcelona, the Red Devils chief is not too displeased at the outcome.
"Playing against the bigger teams brings a better focus and concentration to our game as we showed against Barcelona last season,'' said Ferguson. "We knew the most important thing we had to do in that tie was to concentrate and our concentration in both games was terrific.''
Familiar names like Hernan Crespo, Luis Figo and Sulley Muntari need no introduction to the Old Trafford faithful, while former Arsenal star Patrick Vieira will get his usual warm reception in memory of all those amazing midfield battles with Roy Keane.
"They have had a tremendous domestic record in recent years,'' observed Ferguson of Inter's three successive title triumphs, including the first which was handed to them by default when Juventus were stripped of the honour amid the match-fixing scandal that saw them relegated.
"They have also got a lot of experience in their team which includes quite a few South American players.
"In fact I think they have only got two Italians in their team. That in itself represents a tough challenge because you know that South American players defensively are always very tough and resilient players.''
Ferguson does know Inter were defeated at the quarter-final stage when United went on to win the competition in 1999, the last time the two sides met in competitive combat.
And, as usual, he feels a positive result in the first leg at the San Siro will be crucial.
"Hopefully we can do the job there in the first game and give ourselves a platform to take back to Old Trafford,'' he said. "The San Siro is a great stadium to play in. We've lost two semi-finals to AC Milan there so we want to go there and do better.
"This is the stage when the competition gets going and I think all the English teams have a good chance. I'm happy with our draw.''
