SOCCER: It is a strange quirk of Alex Ferguson's usual win-at-all-cost mentality that five months after Real Madrid brutally exposed Manchester United's shortcomings he still looks back on what should have been a chastening experience with as much fondness as regret. Ferguson regards it as a victory for football, if not his team, but seems unable to distinguish between a great exhibition and a great match.

A great match requires the element of suspense, intrigue and edge-of-the-seat excitement that comes from not knowing who will prevail. True, United won the second leg 4-3 but they were never closer than two goals from leading on aggregate and there were times, particularly in the 3-1 defeat at the Bernabeu, when Real toyed with their opponents.

Perhaps it is the lingering images of Raul, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo et al seemingly finding a new plateau for their football that, to even the most ardent United follower, must raise significant misgivings about whether Ferguson's men are, as he proclaimed yesterday, equipped to do better in this season's competition, starting at home to Panathinaikos tonight.

David Beckham, in his autobiography, recalls the superiority complex of Real's players: how Guti strolled over to ask if they could swap shirts after the final whistle and how Roberto Carlos inquired whether he would be joining their club. A few minutes later it was Zidane's turn: "David, your shirt?" "They weren't trying to distract me or wind me up," says Beckham. "They were just stone-cold sure they could beat us all night long. Why not sort out the formalities now?"

Are Ferguson's men a better side now? It is probably too early to tell but the manager is acutely aware of an Italian renaissance in the competition and Real certainly do not look as if they have regressed since Carlos Queiroz replaced Vicente del Bosque.

The competition is "harder to win than ever", Ferguson pointed out, adding they must eradicate their habit of conceding soft goals.

United, moreover, must show, without two of their more experienced players in Beckham and Juan Sebastian Veron, they have learned from their mistakes. The Argentinian may have had his critics but he flourished at the slower pace of European nights and, statistically, was the most impressive player in last season's competition in terms of successful passes and touches on the ball.

It is unreasonable to expect Ferguson's recruits to have the same influence. Kleberson's dislocated shoulder has denied him the chance to make an early impression and, though Eric Djemba-Djemba will probably play tonight, it is only because, with an eye to Sunday's Premiership encounter with Arsenal, ankle injury victim Roy Keane will not be risked.

Ferguson clearly wants to use Cristiano Ronaldo sparingly and is understood to have had a private word with the teenager about how easy it is to get a bad name in English football.

Allegations of diving have been hanging over him since Saturday's game at Charlton, although Ferguson was quick to defend his player: "It's very easy to say that but I've seen some of the challenges on television and Atlas would have gone down under those tackles, bloody hell."

There is, of course, no guarantee that United will have to come across Real if they are to reach Gelsenkirchen on May 24th next year.

Nevertheless, Ferguson will want to lessen the odds of an early reunion with Senors Queiroz and Beckham by winning a qualifying group that also includes Stuttgart and Rangers.

Now the competition has been restricted to only one group stage, winning Group E would mean they reach the last 16 in a position where they would not have to face another group winner and should, theoretically, get easier opposition.

To that effect Panathinaikos should be generous first opponents, having won only three of their last 16 ties away from Athens. The real challenges lurk farther ahead.

Meanwhile, United yesterday informed the Stock Exchange in Britain they had received no takeover approaches. United issued the statement in response to a weekend report of a potential £600 million bid from a trio of foreign billionaires.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1): Howard; G Neville, Ferdinand, O'Shea, Silvestre; Butt, Djemba-Djemba; Solskjaer, Giggs, Ronaldo; van Nistelrooy.

PANATHINAIKOS (4-2-3-1): Nikopolidis; Seitaridis, Henriksen, Kirgiakos, Fyssas; Maric, Zutautas; Papadopoulos, Sanmartean, Epalle; Konstantinou.

Referee: A Sars (France)

Guardian Service

VfB Stuttgart manager Felix Magath has insisted there will be no reason to brand his team divers when they take on Rangers in their opening Champions League game in Glasgow tonight.

The German national team was criticised for the tactics they used to earn a win over Scotland in last week's Euro 2004 qualifier - a performance which led to defender Christian Dailly's outburst on television that Rudi Völler's men were "cheats".

But Magath claims he is looking forward to playing a "British style of game" which allows for a more aggressive approach.

"I believe that in Britain - and Scotland in particular - the notion of sportsmanship is more significant than in the continent," he said. "We are pleased to be here because we are a team who like to play football and we would like to show that at Ibrox."