In one of the most exciting powerhouse football matchups in quite some time, the Real Madrid squad will face off against Manchester United in Champions League play on Wednesday night.

United skipper Sir Alex Ferguson will more than likely look to Phil Jones in order to contain former team member Cristiano Ronaldo, as the club heads into the highly anticipated first leg of the last 16 fixture.

Real's Ronaldo is set to go up against the very club he opted out of in 2009 for a hefty contract.

The Portuguese superstar was a member of the United team for six years, capturing three Premier League titles, one Champions League, one FA Cup, two League Cups and one FIFA World Cup. The skilled footballer scored 118 goals in 292 lifetime appearances for Manchester United.

According to the Mirror, Ronaldo has the utmost respect for his old club, especially Ferguson, whom he coined as a father figure to him during his early years. The skipper had taken Ronaldo under his wing when he began his career on the Red Devils as an 18-year-old in 2003.

On the other hand, United's Rio Ferdinand is wishing that the attention surrounding the two clubs proves to be too overwhelming for his former teammate to handle.

"It's obviously going to be an emotional night for Ronaldo and a great night for him too. But hopefully it gets too emotional for him," he said.

He also admitted that he'd been exchanging text messages with Ronaldo in regards to the big-time Champions League matchup, but made it clear what the task at hand is.

"We've had a few texts, but when you get into a situation like this when you're coming up against a friend, all the texts and the conversation go to one side and you don't really speak until you actually get the game over and done with," Ferdinand added.

A live stream of the upcoming matchup will be available for those who would like to sign up for a free trial at Fox Soccer 2Go. Simply CLICK HERE in order to view the matchup or sign up. The game is set to begin at 7:45 p.m. GMT