Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson regards Barcelona as their toughest opponent in this season's Champions League.

"Barcelona are taking all the headlines this season," Ferguson said. "Their performance in the league has been absolutely outstanding.

"I think Barcelona are going to be the biggest threat if United are going to win the European Cup again this season."

United face Jose Mourinho's Inter next up in Europe and Ferguson insists he cannot wait to take on the Italians, if only to sample the wine.

He added: "When Jose Mourinho came to see our game against Chelsea, he promised me a good bottle of wine, so I'm desperate to get there.

"The games will surely be difficult. Inter have a very experienced team and they have some South American players who give them a tough mentality."