Cristiano Ronaldo relishes Manchester United tie

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted that he is anticipating a tough match when his side face his former club Manchester United next week.

Ronaldo has not come up against United since leaving Old Trafford in 2009 and the Portuguese attacker has revealed that he is looking forward to renewing acquaintances with his former teammates.

Ronaldo told UEFA.com: "I have great memories from my time there. I was there for six years. I have a lot of friends there, people I will see with great pleasure - it will be a match with a lot of emotions.

"They're a team that always do well, every year they're at the top and therefore a team we respect a lot. It will be an extremely difficult match, especially in Manchester.

"I believe things will go well. In my opinion, Real Madrid have a better team, but we have to show that on the pitch because United are a very united team and always have been in recent years."

The first match of the two-legged tie takes place at the Bernabeu on Wednesday, before the return fixture at Old Trafford on March 5.