Manchester United manager David Moyes (left) with team veteran Ryan Giggs before a training session, yesterday.

Manchester United, comprehensively outplayed by local rivals Liverpool and Manchester City at Old Trafford recently, face an even tougher challenge when holders Bayern Munich come calling in the Champions League today.

Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino and his Atletico Madrid counterpart Diego Simeone clashed as rival players in their native Argentina and there will be no quarter given when they meet in the night’s other match.

Languishing seventh in the Premier League after a dismal first season under manager David Moyes, Manchester United are huge underdogs to get through the two-legged quarter-final against the Bundesliga champions.

Moyes will take little comfort from results at the weekend when Bayern’s 19-match league winning streak ended in a 3-3 home draw with Hoffenheim after surrendering a 3-1 lead while United thrashed Aston Villa 4-1 in the Premier League.

United are a far cry from the team who commanded unreserved respect around Europe during Alex Ferguson’s heyday but their home form in the Champions League this season has been good, in marked contrast to their woeful Premier League record at Old Trafford.

The English champions have won their first four home matches in the competition, something they last did in the 2007-08 campaign when they made it six out of six and went on to lift the trophy for the third time in Moscow.

But Bayern have won their last seven Champions League away games. They also beat United on the away goals rule when the teams met at the same stage in 2010.

Moyes can take heart from his team’s recovery in their last-16 tie against Olympiakos when they won 3-0 at Old Trafford thanks to a Robin van Persie hat-trick after losing the away leg 2-0.

Van Persie will miss both games against Bayern through injury but Wayne Rooney is enjoying a prolific run, the England striker’s two goals against Villa taking his tally to five this month and 15 in the league this season.

The tie brings together two teams who have lifted the European Cup eight times between them and they met in the 1999 final in Barcelona when United snatched an extraordinary 2-1 victory from the jaws of defeat with two stoppage-time goals.

1988 incident

A callow Simeone was not yet 18 when he faced Martino, nearly 10 years his senior, in a league match between Velez Sarsfield and Newell’s Old Boys in January 1988, when Martino was sent off for a challenge on fellow midfielder Simeone, who was himself dismissed 10 minutes later.

Almost three decades later and the older and wiser Martino and Simeone are in charge of two Spanish teams with a genuine chance of achieving a rare double of Champions League and La Liga titles.

Atletico are a point clear of Barca at the top of Spain’s domestic league with seven games left and their final match of the campaign is another trip to Barca’s daunting Nou Camp arena in May.

They have already played each other three times this term, with very little to choose between the sides.

Barca pipped Atletico to the season-opening Spanish Super Cup when Neymar’s goal in a 1-1 first-leg draw in Madrid was enough for Barca after the second leg ended 0-0.

Their La Liga game at the Calderon in January also finished goalless.

Barcelona warmed up for today last eight, first leg with a laboured 1-0 win at city rivals Espanyol on Saturday thanks to a Lionel Messi penalty, while Diego Costa and Koke scored for Atletico in a 2-1 comeback win at Athletic Bilbao.

The winner of the tie following next week’s second leg in Madrid will go into the draw for the semi-finals on April 11.

Quarter-finals, first legs

Playing today (20.45)
Barcelona (Spain) vs Atletico Madrid (Spain)
Manchester United (England) vs Bayern Munich (Germany)

Tomorrow (20.45)
Real Madrid (Spain) vs Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
Paris St Germain (France) vs Chelsea (England)