Manchester United will need to make a habit of overcoming Italian opposition because, having beaten Inter Milan in the quarter-finals, they have now been drawn against Juventus. At least United know what they are up against. This will be the third time in as many seasons that the clubs have met in this competition.

In the 1996-97 Champions League Juventus beat Manchester United 1-0 in both of their group matches, but last season United won memorably 3-2 at Old Trafford and only lost 1-0 in Turin after they had qualified.

Ferguson is counting on his team remembering the lessons learned from the most recent encounters with Juve. "At this stage you would expect a tough draw," the United manager said yesterday, "but we have the experience of playing against them four times in the last two seasons. The important thing is that the players know all about them, and to be honest we have also improved. It will be a hard game for us but I hope we can make it hard for Juventus."

Juventus coach Carlo Ancelotti said he was happy with the draw - at least for the club's fans. "There are no soft touches at this stage, so I didn't mind who we got. What's more, I think this is probably the ideal draw for us, as far as our fans are concerned," he said.

World player of the year Zinedine Zidane was sending out much the same message. "We're very glad to have got this far, especially at the end of a season when so many things have gone wrong for us and especially now when we're getting better. We really want to make up for losing the last two finals and I tell you one thing, it is a big advantage for us to play the second leg at home."

In the Cup Winners' Cup, Chelsea avoided Lazio, drawing Real Mallorca, who they play at home in the first leg.