Debate: Mourinho will get Chelsea hairdryer, Beckham to send United out of the competition ?

It was always going to happen one day – but you just wonder how the Chelsea fans who still worship the Special One will react to him coming to the Bridge to try and boot the Blues out of the Champions League.

This morning’s sensational draw for the last 16, not only pitting Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan against Chelsea but also pairing the other San Siro side with Manchester United, ensures that the days until mid-February will be absolutely full of build-up.

What you will not get at the Bridge is warm hugs and embraces – although things have certainly warmed up between David Beckham and Sir Alex Ferguson since the former England skipper left Old Trafford in 2003.

Carlo Ancelotti’s hatred of Mourinho is visceral, with the Italian believing the Portuguese stands for all that is wrong in football – haughtily self-important, egotistical and vain, as well as being possessed by a Messiah complex.

In turn, Mourinho enjoyed playing up to the image, going out of his way to wind Ancelotti up last season with a series of needless, petty jibes.

That ensures fireworks all the way – mainly, it must be assumed, coming from Milan.

But quite what the Chelsea players, many of whom owe their significant success to Mourinho, will think about having to play against him is a tougher one to call.

As is the response of the Chelsea fans. For many of them, Mourinho’s departure was one of the lowest points of their lives, the end of an era that surpassed all their previous dreams and aspirations.

The muted and polite applause that greeted Avram Grant when he brought his Chelsea side to SW6 in midweek will seem even more miniscule in relation to the waves of acclaim that will be sent towards Mourinho before kick-off for the second leg.

Unless, of course, Mourinho does what Mourinho tends to do in the build-up, picking a fight he does not need to pick and calling it on with Ancelotti, Chelsea, Roman Abramovich and even the supporters.

Things may be very different at Old Trafford as Beckham – assuming he is fit enough to convince Leonardo he deserves to play – comes back to United as a visiting player for the first time.

Beckham has forgiven and forgotten Fergie for the flying boot incident and the almost unseemly manner he was allowed to go to Real Madrid, and nothing will give the midfielder more pleasure than going back to the ground where he enjoyed so many of his proudest moments for club and country.

As for the matches – and Arsenal will back themselves to see off the limited challenge of Porto – it gives renewed life to a trans-national rivalry that has lost impetus in recent seasons.

While Liverpool, two years ago, and United last term, saw off Inter, it appeared to confirm the new order in Europe, after the 90s were all about Italiuan supremacy.

Over the past four seasons, the Premier League and Spain’s La Liga have fought tooth and nail for the title of European masters, with Serie A, despite AC Milan’s revenge win over Liverpool in 2007, firmly in the shade.

The Premier League, backed by the Sky machine and national pride, has loudly trumpeted its claims to be the best, pointing to the sheer number of world class foreign players who have travelled here to earn their living – nothing, of course, to do with the wages the clubs play.

But the true value of a currency is when it is measured against the Silver Standard of trophies.

And while England has produced six finalists since 2005, the Iberians have have many wins under the belt, courtesy of Barcelona’s triumphs over Arsenal and United in 2006 and 2009.

This season, United are not yet as good as they looked before being taken to the cleaners by Barca in Rome and Arsenal have been savaged by injuries.

Even Chelsea, who looked dominant and devastating when they smashed Arsene Wenger’s Gunners last month, have lost their way since, furrowing Carlo Ancelotti’s brow yet further.

By contrast, Barca still look the real thing, likely to reinforce their claims for global domination in Dubaithis weekend.

Barca and Real still stand in the way before any of the English trio can walk out in the Bernabeu on May 22 but even to still be around for the last eight the threat of both halves of Milan will have to be snuffed out.

The Mourinho factor will make the task all the harder. Don’t know about you, but I can’t wait.