Champions League Draw: Becks Back At Man U & Mourinho At Chelsea

Manchester United will face former midfielder David Beckham in the last 16 of the Champions League after they were paired with AC Milan in the draw. It will be the first time since his 2003 departure that Beckham has faced the club where he made his name, with his return set for 9/10 or 16/17 March. Chelsea, meanwhile, were drawn against ex-manager Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan. Arsenal enjoyed arguably the easiest of the draws, against Porto, with the first leg on 16/17 or 23/24 February. Holders Barcelona will face German side Stuttgart, while their La Liga rivals Real Madrid face a tricky tie against French side Lyon. But the two draws of the round undoubtedly involve English clubs, with Manchester United and Chelsea both reunited with former heroes. Beckham, who will rejoin AC Milan on loan from LA Galaxy in January, will be eligible to face United as long as he is registered by the Italian club before 1 February and is one of the three additions made to their Champions League squad. The 34-year-old will surely relish his return to the club with whom he won six Premier League titles, the Champions League and two FA Cups. "Beckham will get a fantastic reception, as players coming back usually do at Manchester United," said Manchester United director of communications Phil Townsend. "He was a terrific servant for the club and we all hope he will be playing. "Manchester United against AC Milan is what this stage of the Champions League is all about. "We've played them four times in 52 years, I think, and not knocked them out yet, so hopefully our time will come this year." United defender Patrice Evra said that he was relishing the prospect of playing against Beckham. "I am very happy for David Beckham," he said. "He did a lot of great things for Manchester United and I want to say to him 'Welcome Home'. "But I hope he plays badly and I intend to make sure he doesn't do very well." United have beaten five of their last seven Italian opponents in the Champions League knockout stages but, significantly, the two occasions they lost were both to AC Milan: 2-0 on aggregate in the round of 16 in 2005 and 5-3 on aggregate in the semi-finals in 2007.