Bayern Munich manager Louis van Gaal has branded Edwin van der Sar a "manufactured goalkeeper" ahead of their Champions League quarter-final clash with Manchester United at the Allianz Arena.

GettyImagesEdwin van der Sar: Expected to retire at the end of the 2010/11 season

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The Dutch pair go head-to-head 15 years after Van der Sar was part of Van Gaal's Ajax side that claimed Champions League glory at Juventus' expense.

Van Der Sar is widley hailed as one of the best goalkeepers in the game and Van Gaal's controversial assessment is unlikely to win the 39-year-old's approval.

But, in using exactly the same phrase as Sir Alex Ferguson once used to describe David Beckham, Van Gaal insists he is correct.

"I always say Van der Sar is a manufactured goalkeeper," said Van Gaal. "He is not so happy when I say it, but there are more natural goalkeepers in the world.

"Van der Sar has been made into a goalkeeper. It is my philosophy to train the brain and that is the reason why Van der Sar has been around so long.

"He always works with his brain. That is his secret. He is a great role model for goalkeepers around the world."

Van Gaal will no doubt be hoping the veteran keeper forgets a few things on Tuesday night as Bayern look to better their stated aim of a place in the last eight.

The hosts are sweating on the fitness of former Chelsea star Arjen Robben, who aggravated a groin injury in Saturday's defeat by Stuttgart, and Bastian Schweinsteiger is suspended, but Franck Ribery is expected to play despite being plagued by an ankle problem recently.