SIR ALEX: BRING ON MOURINHO

As Friday's Champions League draw edged to its climax, United were facing up to potential ties with either Real Madrid - and all the Ronaldo-related press hype that would entail - or the resumption of Sir Alex's friendly, but competitive, rivalry with Jose Mourinho at Internazionale.

The Reds, of course, drew Inter, playing the first leg away on Tuesday 24 February and the return clash at Old Trafford on Wednesday 11 March. It's a tough draw, but Sir Alex isn't fazed.

"I'm happy with our draw," the boss said from the team's hotel in Japan. "They kept us hanging on at the end there being last out of the hat, but it'll be interesting to face Jose again. He's a character and I've always got on well with him. Of course, he knocked us out of the competition with Porto. Hopefully this time we'll have the luck Porto had then."

Inter, current leaders in Serie A, were probably the toughest of the five teams United could have drawn, but Sir Alex feels that could benefit his team. "Playing against bigger teams brings focus to our game," he said. "We showed that against Barcelona last season, our concentration was terrific.

"The San Siro is a great stadium. We've been knocked out twice there to AC Milan, so we want to go there and do better, and now the competition really gets going. Hopefully we'll do the job in the first game and give ourselves a platform to take back to Old Trafford."

EDWIN CALLS FOR FINAL IMPROVEMENT

United's 5-3 win over Gamba Osaka in Club World Cup semi-final had the feel of an exhibition match. But with the trophy up for grabs in Sunday's final, Edwin van der Sar says the Reds must raise their game.

Sir Alex's men cruised to a 2-0 half-time lead, but six goals in the last 16 minutes (three for each side) made it a hectic finish. And Edwin's experience tells him that a similarly leaky defensive display simply won't do on Sunday.

"We're pleased to have won the game and scored a few goals, but I think we can improve a lot on our performance," he told Red View.

"I made a couple of decent saves in the first half and I was happy at half-time, but in the end I'm disappointed to have conceded three goals."

United now meet Ecuador's LDU Quito in the final at the Yokohama International Stadium (kick-off 10:30 GMT), and Edwin is determined to add the Club World Cup to his vast array of winners' medals.

"We've travelled a long way to be here and we're determined to go home with the trophy. We've got a couple of days to prepare and I'm confident we can get ourselves in the right shape to win on Sunday.

"I've seen a little bit of Quito and they look like a good side. We'll study them fully over the next day or so and make sure we're well prepared."

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM RED VIEW

This is the last edition of Red View in 2008. What a year it's been for the Reds, and we hope you've enjoyed our coverage along the way.

Red View returns in the New Year, with the first edition of 2009 landing in your inbox on Friday 2 January, looking ahead to United's FA Cup visit to Southampton.

Here's hoping for a win on Sunday against LDU Quito and Premier League victories against Stoke and Middlesbrough over the festive period. And don't forget, you can follow these games live on ManUtd.com.

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!