MANCHESTER, England – The emotion around this city ahead of Tuesday's Champions League match between Manchester United and Real Madrid is every bit as intense as the feeling outside White Hart Lane on Sunday, when Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur faced off in the North London derby. That doesn't mean, however, that there is a similar amount of nastiness.
Champions League
This Week's Games
Tuesday
Shakhtar Donetsk at Borussia Dortmund, 2:45 p.m., MSG+ (First leg, 2-2)
Manchester United vs. Real Madrid, 2:45 p.m., Fox Soccer (First leg, 1-1)
Wednesday
Juventus vs. Celtic, 2:45 p.m., MSG+ (First leg: Juventus, 3-0)
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Valencia, 2:45 p.m., Fox Soccer (First leg: PSG, 2-1)
The Arsenal-Tottenham feud is deep rooted and often crosses the line between competitive and ugly. Gareth Bale had a banana thrown at him during a corner kick Sunday, and Arsenal fans shouted a horrible chant at Tottenham's Emmanuel Adebayor – who used to play for Arsenal – when they referenced the 2010 attack on Togo's team bus by gunmen at the Africa Cup of Nations, then told Adebayor "it should have been you" who was killed.
By contrast, the feeling between the teams here is far more congenial. The managers, Alex Ferguson for Manchester United and Jose Mourinho for Real Madrid, have a friendly relationship, even though Mourinho is often tabbed by outsiders as a potential replacement for Ferguson, 71, once he retires.
Asked about the possibility – yet again – Monday, Ferguson shrugged and said he never has a good answer for the question because he is still the United manager. "I hope I'm the manager tomorrow," he added through a grin.
Ferguson also had nothing but praise for his former player, Cristiano Ronaldo, who left United for Real Madrid in 2009, and it is expected that the Manchester United fans will give Ronaldo a similar welcome Tuesday night when he makes his first appearance here since leaving.
The United fans, too, gave a standing ovation to a Real Madrid player 10 years ago when the Brazilian forward Ronaldo scored a hat trick against the Red Devils in a classic Champions League quarterfinal. On that night, which was recounted excellently in oral history by the Guardian, even the home fans had to concede that Ronaldo was the best player on the field. And so they did.
It must be said, the affection goes both directions. Ryan Giggs, the United stalwart, received a standing ovation from Real Madrid fans when he came on as a substitute in the first leg last month, a warm acknowledgement of Giggs's place in the game as he made his 150th European appearance.
It was well deserved and well executed. And in a sport which often receives attention for its negative incidents, it was the sort of classy moment that one can only wish would happen more often.
Follow Sam Borden on Twitter.
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