13th February, 2013
The worldwide television audience and number of bets anticipated for Wednesday night’s match between Manchester United and Real Madrid should break all records for a last 16 tie of the tournament.
Today’s grudge match between Jose Mourinho’s men and the English team should be the most watched Champions League match of all time. Kevin Alavy, Managing Director of Sport+Entertainment, an agency specialising in sport sponsorship, is expecting a global audience of about 200 million.
“It may well be that this is the most watched last-16 match in the history of the Champions League,” he said.
The tie is also poised to attract the most bets. William Hill were expecting 20m pounds to be wagered in the UK alone, only 5million pounds less than the 2011 final between United and Barcelona at Wembley.
Ahead of the crucial match, Sir Alex Ferguson has warned his United troops they cannot blow their ‘acid test’ in the Bernabeu.
Fergie believes if they topple the Spaniards, they can go all the way to Euro glory.
He said: “This is the acid test, no doubt about that, and we have to get through to win this competition.
“This is so important to both clubs, we cannot think of failing.”
Asked if his United team can emulate those of 1968, 1999 and 2008 and lift the European Cup, Ferguson added: “Yeah, I think so.
“They have a great spirit about them.
“People say this one is not as good as the teams of the past but sometimes you can have foggy recollections of teams from the past — I do myself.
“But this team doesn’t know when it is beaten, which is a good asset, and it has some quality players, too.
“Jose Mourinho summed up this tie perfectly, it’s a game everyone has waited for.
“It’s a fantastic challenge, two clubs who embrace the best parts of football.” Fergie’s side lead the Premier League title race by 12 points, while Mourinho’s Real are third in La Liga.
Ferguson added: “I think it is a good time to play them. We have a fantastic lead in the Premier League and we have everyone fit.”
Fergie dismissed the description of Wayne Rooney by one Madrid paper as a hooligan.
He said: “I’m not interested in what a Madrid paper says. He can’t speak or read Spanish, so we will be all right.”