sport news Manchester United and Barcelona's fascinating history as they face off in ...

Manchester United versus Barcelona is a contest that conjures up all that is good about continental competition.

These two heavyweights are preparing to do battle once again in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, with the first leg at Old Trafford on Wednesday and the return in the Nou Camp next Tuesday.

United and Barca have met many times down the years with the honours pretty evenly split.

We take a trip down memory lane and look back at all the classic meetings between these two famous names in European football.

1984: Captain marvel puts Maradona in the shade

Few gave United a prayer when they lost 2-0 in the Nou Camp in the first leg of this European Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final tie.

These were days of Liverpool dominance both domestically and in Europe and, after a Graeme Hogg own goal and Juan Carlos Rojo's late strike, Ron Atkinson's side looked destined to fall short again.

After all, this was a Barca side boasting one of the most exciting players in the world in Diego Maradona but the great Argentine was to be completely overshadowed at Old Trafford.

United fans would become well accustomed to spectacular fightbacks when Alex Ferguson took over, but this remains one of their finest.

Captain Bryan Robson inspired their comeback with a diving header before half-time and a powerful close-range finish just after the break.

Frank Stapleton then fired home what proved to be the decisive goal three minutes later and Barca had no answer.

1991: Hughes comes back to bite Barca in final

Barcelona were masters of the now defunct European Cup Winners' Cup, claiming it four times including in 1979, 1982 and 1989.

But in 1991, they were second-best to United as the English clubs marked their return to continental competition following the five-year ban after the Heysel tragedy.

Cheered on by tens of thousands of fans in Rotterdam, Ferguson claimed his second piece of silverware with the club thanks to two goals by Mark Hughes.

Sparky had spent a season at the Nou Camp but disappointed in tandem with Gary Lineker and returned to Old Trafford, where he excelled once again.

This was a sweet moment as United claimed their second European trophy following the 1968 European Cup win.

1994: Ferguson's United taught European lesson

Having started to assert their dominance in the Premier League, Ferguson's United were keen to make their mark in Europe as well.

But two group stage encounters with a Barcelona team boasting the likes of Romario and Hristo Stoichkov demonstrated just how far they had to travel in 1994-95.

At Old Trafford, Lee Sharpe's goal 10 minutes from time secured a creditable draw with Hughes again scoring against his old club. In betwee, Romario and Jose Bakero had scored for the Catalans.

But in the Nou Camp, in front of an enormous crowd of 114,273, it was a completely different story.

United were hindered by a rule stating only three foreign players could be in their team, meaning Gary Walsh deputised for Peter Schmeichel, while star striker Eric Cantona was suspended anyway.

Stoichkov scored twice, with Romario and Albert Ferrer also on target in one of the heaviest defeats United have suffered in Europe.

It led to them crashing out after the

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