Sir Alex Ferguson would love to meet Real Madrid again in the Champions League final. The Manchester United manager insists this is not because he wants revenge for last season's quarter-final defeat at the hands of Real.

Instead he feels the 1999 champions against the current holders, and favourites in his book, would make a great final in the San Siro on May 23.

Real have already qualified for the last eight and United can join them if they beat Panathinaikos tonight in the Spiros Louis Stadium.

"Revenge does not come into it in a game of football for us," said Ferguson. "There's no point to that.

"Hopefully if we do meet Real Madrid this season, it will be in Milan.

"We respect the ability of Real Madrid. We think they are favourites for the cup and they have some fantastic players.

"Last year we maybe should have done better so who knows?"

Real are also uppermost in Roy Keane's thoughts and the United skipper does not need reminding that he scored an own goal in that 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford.

He would relish the chance to play the eight-time winners again, but first he knows United must concentrate on defeating Panathinaikos.

"Hopefully we will have another chance against them, but we must qualify first," said Keane.

"I think Madrid are the team to beat and I think they are an outstanding team.

"I think they are better than last year, but that's just my personal opinion and there are still so many outstanding teams left - Bayern Munich and teams like that, while the English teams have got a good chance.

"But Madrid won it last year so they are the team we have got to look at.

"I watch them most weeks on the Spanish football and to me they are playing really well."

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2001