Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo is desperate to avoid drawing Manchester United in the Champions League knockout round. A United victory against CSKA tomorrow would secure United's qualification from group B, but while Real's progress to the last 16 is far from guaranteed, Ronaldo is already looking ahead to the final at the Bernabéu on May 22.

"I don't want to play United [in the knockout rounds] - they're a very strong team and I have many friends there," Ronaldo, who joined Real for a world-record £80 million from United in the summer, told ESPN at the launch of the Castrol Rankings, which rate players in the top divisions of the English, French, German, Italian and Spanish leagues.

"I played for six years at Old Trafford and have many friends at the club, but maybe if we met in the final it would be good. It will be very difficult if we play against United but to be honest I don't want to play them.

"I am really happy here [in Madrid] and look forward to winning as many trophies as I did in Manchester."