Becks and Fergie’s ‘father-son’ reunion

What do you mean you're going to watch the Brits instead? Shame on you! You can get all the same thrills from watching the business end of Europe's biggest club competition.

There is more glamour and showbiz on offer in Milan and Lyon tonight than even Ant and Dec can muster.

You don't need ageing juggernaut Bruce Springsteen or arrogant global brand Jay-Z when you have Milan v Manchester United. Neither is the perennially underwhelming Paolo Nutini nor the expensively assembled but ultimately vacuous Lady Gaga necessary when you've got Lyon v Real Madrid on the menu.

The focus for this evening's matches is all about former players meeting their old clubs: Karim Benzema returns to Lyon after just seven months, while David Beckham gets his first reunion with Manchester United after almost seven years.

Our very own pundit Paul Parker insists that the hype should not be around Becks, and instead be about the meeting of two of Europe's top clubs. In purely football terms, of course, he's right. But come on, what else is there to talk about? Nemanja Vidic and Anderson could be on their way out after being left out of the squad? Ooh, isn't that Alexandre Pato good? Yawn.

Fortunately for ED, such has been the cycle of Beckham's hairstyles over the years that the above picture of him with Alex Ferguson, taken in 2002, looks as though it could have been taken yesterday. Look at them there, smiling together during happier times, before Beckham's acrimonious departure for Real Madrid a year later.

Always the pass master at earning sympathy with his carefully perfected yet innocent charm, Beckham has been gushing in his praise for Fergie.

"Sir Alex will always be a father figure to me," Beckham said, no doubt pleasing his actual father. "He always has been and he always will be. No matter what has been said in the past, whether good or bad, I only remember the good times.

"He was the man who gave me my chance to play for club I had always dreamed of playing for. They were only good times. Sir Alex is respected throughout football all around the world. I definitely hold nothing against the manager, he's an incredible man."

The former England captain might as well have stuck a plaster on his eyebrow, just for old time's sake.

Beckham is a pass master at coming up smelling of roses against the odds. Whether it's playing his way back into the Real Madrid team after Fabio Capello insisted he would never play for them again, returning to the England team despite being written off under Steve McClaren or winning over the LA Galaxy fans after they wanted him out, sometimes it feels as though we are all just watching one man's personal fantasy story as it's played out in front of the world.

The prospect of him curling in a trade mark dead ball to make it five wins out of five for the Rossoneri over the Red Devils is not, on the face of it, very likely at all. But then, this is Beckham we're talking about.

Still, he has to get himself on the pitch first.

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PODCAST: This week's Eurosport-Yahoo! podcast is now online, complete with breathy beat-boxing in the theme tune. Reda Maher and Sean Fay join Mike Hytner to talk FA Cup, Champions League and the controversial Premier League play-off plan.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "We don't practise penalties really and it's disappointing we missed one but things like that happen. Tom (Huddlestone) was down to take it before the game and he was unlucky. Will we practise them more now? You never know." - No, Gareth Bale. After Huddlestone's miss from the spot against Bolton at the weekend extended a dismal run from 12 yards that stretches back to last year's Carling Cup final, the answer to your question should be YES!

FOREIGN VIEW: "After del Piero's actions it seems evident to me that sporting behaviour no longer exists. Del Piero is a champion, like Francesco Totti. But sometimes champions overstep the line." - Genoa president Enrico Preziosi accuses Juventus striker Alessandro del Piero of diving to win a penalty in the Bianconeri's 3-2 win. Del Piero scored the spot-kick, which won the game, as he made a record 445th Serie A appearance.

COMING UP: European football is back on the menu this evening: Follow live text commentary of Milan v Manchester United and Lyon v Real Madrid in the Champions League and Everton v Sporting Lisbon in the Europa League. Just three days after their FA Cup clash, we get a second helping of Stoke City v Manchester City, in the Premier League this time.

There's also live scoring of a Scottish Cup replay, 10 Championship matches, three in League One and another three in League Two to keep you occupied.

Don't forget that you can bet on any of tonight's matches right now at Eurosport Bet.