Will Sir Alex Ferguson have the last laugh?

It's Fergie vs. Jose once more in a bout that has gone well beyond the specified 12 rounds. Sir Alex once again faces a foe who has got the better of him over the years, beginning at Porto with that famous sprint down the Old Trafford touchline then continuing at Chelsea where Mr Mourinho caused a full scale shift in power from the north-west to the south-east. This Manchester United are a wholly different animal and Fergie will no doubt be looking to overcome an obstacle he has, so far failed to conquer.

Looking at the league form of both teams, they appear more or less identical ... on paper anyway. United have a record of 19 wins, 5 draws and 2 defeats in 26 games, almost identical to Inter's 18 wins, 5 draws and 2 defeats in 25 matches. United have scored 46 and conceded only 11, compared to Inter's equally impressive record of 44 scored and 18 conceded. It seems nothing can really separate the two on paper.

The form of both sides is also extremely similar with Inter often scraping wins with erratic performances and often relying on the enigmatic yet brilliant Zlatan Ibrahimovic to set them apart from the opposition and lift them from the quagmire. He has had a plethora of partners this season, from Julio Cruz to Mario Balotelli and the forever-jaded Adriano. It appears once more that with Adriano's off field issues hampering his season, and Balotelli's apparent inability to tow the line, Inter will once more rely on their Swedish talisman.

Coupling a solid midfield that will no doubt look to provide the ammunition for Ibrahimovic et al. Inter have built from a solid foundation of Maxwell, Ivan Cordoba, Christian Chivu and Douglas Maicon. With 18-year-old Davide Santon impressing in recent games it seems he will start at left back against United, as he is unable to displace the fabulous Maicon on the right side. Maicon is the best right back in the world, excellent defensively and a wonder going forward, he makes the right side his own, and is definately a player United should fear.

Manchester United on the other hand posses some very effective weapons of their own, in the shape of Rooney, Tevez, Berbatov and of course FIFA World Player of the Year Cristaino Ronaldo. This is a front line that can unlock even the tightest Catenaccio (door-bolt or padlock) defence. But United's success has not been built on this rapturous attack but a defence that gives away fewer goals than the military gives away secrets. Fourteen clean sheets in-fact, beating a record previously set by Jose Mourinho's Chelsea.

While United go into the tie with major defensive worries, Vidic is suspended, Neville, Brown and Evans are all injured, it seems a young back line will be marshaled by Rio Ferdinand. A job that will bring the best out of him, but one Jose will be keen to exploit.

With the mind games well and truly underway Jose has the belief in his players, stating, "I have immense confidence we will do it." While Ferguson has been more complimentary in his view of Jose Mourinho calling him, "one of the best coaches in the world, amazing" It therefore remains to be seen, which one of these terrific coaches triumphs ... the godfather or indeed the young pretender.