[attach id=235595 size="large"]Cristiano Ronaldo[/attach]

The Champions League provides a cracker-jack of a fixture tomorrow when Real Madrid hot-shot Cristiano Ronaldo faces Manchester United, the club where he made his name, for the first time.

United will hope the Portugal winger does not emulate Brazil forward Ronaldo who scored a memorable hat-trick for the Spaniards when the teams last met 10 years ago.

The Real forward will not have to be concerned about being overshadowed by arch-rival Lionel Messi because organisers UEFA have again spread the last 16 over a series of dates, meaning the matches will take one month to complete.

Messi’s Barcelona will not be in action until Feb. 20 when they visit Milan for their first-leg encounter while the Arsenal-Bayern Munich, Galatasaray-Schalke and Porto-Malaga ties also take place next week.

Another of the group stage’s outstanding players, Brazilian playmaker Willian, will not be involved at all as he has joined Anzhi Makhachkala from Shakhtar Donetsk who are at home to Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund tomorrow.

Valencia host ambitious Paris St Germain and Celtic entertain Serie A champions Juventus in today’s ties.

The meeting of nine-times European champions Real, who are paying the penalty for failing to win their group, and United is the first for 10 years.

As well as being Ronaldo’s first confrontation with the team he spent six glittering seasons with, the first leg at the Bernabeu also allows Real coach Jose Mourinho to renew his rivalry with United counterpart Alex Ferguson.

Real, the Spanish league champions, have been disappointing in La Liga this season and finished second in their Champions League group behind Dortmund.

Ronaldo, a United player from 2003-09, will be desperate for his team to rise to the occasion against the club he helped to land the Champions League trophy in 2008.

“I actually said beforehand I believed we would draw United,” the 28-year-old said.

“I’ve wanted to face Manchester United for some time.

“I have great memories from my time there. They’re a team that always do well, every year they’re at the top and therefore a team we respect a lot,” added Ronaldo who collected his 17th La Liga hat-trick in Saturday’s 4-1 win over Sevilla.

The last of the four meetings between Real and United was in the 2002-03 quarter-finals when a treble by Brazilian Ronaldo gave the Spaniards a 4-3 second leg win and a 6-5 aggregate triumph.

Celtic, who beat Barcelona at home earlier in the campaign, and Juventus will clash for the first time since 2001 when the Scottish side won 4-3 in a group game.

Juve goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is the only survivor from that match.

“Beating Juve would be a bigger step than beating Barcelona. At this stage it would be a massive bonus for us and give us the chance to go to another level of the Champions League,” said Celtic midfielder Victor Wanyama.

Shakhtar’s task

Shakhtar play Dortmund in Ukraine without Willian who was sold to big-spending Russians Anzhi for €35 million last month against the wishes of coach Mircea Lucescu.

The Ukrainians, domestic champions for the last three seasons and Champions League quarter-finalists in 2011, are generally one of Europe’s most stable sides and still have eight players from the squad that lifted the UEFA Cup in 2009.

Dortmund are widely perceived as dark horses after topping a group that contained Real, Manchester City and Ajax.

Paris St Germain have not included new signing David Beckham in their squad for today’s match in Valencia, one of four Spanish sides in the last 16, although he is registered for the competition as is fellow new recruit, Brazilian Lucas.

Last 16 – first legs

Playing today – 20.45
Celtic vs Juventus (2nd leg: Mar. 6)
Valencia vs Paris SG (2nd leg: Mar. 6)

Tomorrow – 20.45
R. Madrid vs Man. Utd (2nd leg: Mar. 5)
S. Donetsk vs B. Dortmund (2nd leg: Mar. 5)

February 19 – 20.45
Porto vs Malaga (2nd leg: Mar. 13)
Arsenal vs B. Munich (2nd leg: Mar. 13)

February 20 – 20.45
Galatasaray vs Schalke (2nd leg: Mar. 12)
Milan vs Barcelona (2nd leg: Mar. 12)

Quarter-finals: April 2-3 and 9-10.