Manchester United v Real Madrid: live - Telegraph.co.uk

18.43 Henry Winter says what we're all thinking:

18.38 Here are the teams:

Manchester United: De Gea; Rafael, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Carrick, Cleverley; Nani, Welbeck, Giggs; Van Persie.
Subs: Lindegaard, Rooney, Evans, Valencia, Young, Kagawa, Hernandez.

Real Madrid: Diego Lopez; Arbeloa, Varane, Ramos, Coentrao; Alonso, Khedira; Di Maria, Ozil, Ronaldo; Higuain.
Subs: Adán, Albiol, Pepe, Modric, Kaká, Callejón, Benzema.

18.35 Some big team news: Wayne Rooney is dropped by Manchester United! Ryan Giggs starts for the home team.

18.30 Henry Winter answers the question posed above. Without, yknow, addressing me directly. Still:

18.15 Apropos of very little, here's Cristiano Ronaldo relaxing:

18.00 Ryan Giggs will make his 1,000th senior professional appearance tonight. That obviously means it's time for a montage:

17.45 There are plans afoot for an extra-atmospheric greeting for the players this evening, reports Mark Ogden:

Manchester United have paid for 18,000 red, white and black flags to form a bar scarf mosaic which will greet the players as they emerge from the tunnel for tonight's Champions League tie with Real Madrid at Old Trafford. In an attempt to boost the atmosphere prior to the game, United are also to cut the public address system five minutes before the teams walk out onto the pitch in order to allow the supporters to raise the decibel level inside the ground.

The scarf mosaic will cover the three-tier Sir Alex Ferguson Stand while a giant flag bearing the club's crest will be displayed in the East Stand and a banner of the final line-up of the Busby Babes will be unfurled at the Stretford End. Andrew Kilduff, of the Stretford End Flags' group, said: "Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and Sir Alex Ferguson have all stated that the mosaics make Old Trafford look different, they get the players up as they know it's not just a normal game. After seeing Real Madrid's display when we played in the Bernabéu, we felt we had to do something to better it."

17.30 Paul Hayward has some evidence that Alex Ferguson is becoming a sentimentalist in his old age:

17.15 Time for some amusing news from a player that started for United in the 4-3 against Real Madrid 10 years ago. Yes, it's Mikael Silvestre. Who has enjoyed a debut to make Wayne Bridge blush for his newest side, the mightly Portland Timbers:

Le premier match catastrophique de Silvestre en... by evidenceprod

16.45 Top trolling from Joleon Lescott:

He has, happilly, confirmed that he was joking.

16.30 Have you read Fergie's programme notes for tonight's game yet? You're about to if not. Unless you're able to stop reading at great speed, which is much harder than it looks, but still, look, I'm giving you plenty of time and you've probably at least slowed down now right and STOP! Here's Sir Alex:

This is what it is all about - a packed Old Trafford, the floodlights on, the pitch glistening and two of the greatest and most romantic clubs in the game about to do battle. People ask me why I don't retire after so many years in the game, but how could anyone with an ounce of passion for football in their soul voluntarily walk away from the opportunity to be involved in this kind of occasion? I like to think that the pioneers like Sir Matt Busby and Santiago Bernabeu, the president of Real Madrid who gave his name to their stadium, will be up there smiling and excited as the rest of us at the prospect of another dramatic night featuring the best that the game can provide.

16.00 Afternoon liveblog fans.

Before Real Madrid v Manchester United part one there was a lot of talk about the Champions League cheating us of a game that should have been taking place in the more important later stages of the competition.

That seemed like wooly, sentimental thinking at the time. This afternoon it's making me feel a bit sad.

These are two of the more interesting teams left in this competition, to lose one of them this evening is going to be a real shame.

If it is to be United, who will take to the field without the increasingly-important Phil Jones tonight, we'll be deprived of the most promising chance Alex Ferguson has had of winning this trophy for some time.

With Real out and Barcelona possibly going the same way tomorrow night, it would only leave Bayern Munich as a team to properly fear in the competition.

If it is to be Madrid, we will lose Cristiano Ronaldo. That would be no fun at all.

We will find out the fates of both sides and this season's starriest tournament together over the next six or so hours.

There shall be build-up.

There shall be team news.

There shall be plenty of excitement.

You will stay tuned.

(Please)

[thanks].