Manchester United begin their Champions League adventure with a ‘Battle of Britain’ fixture against Rangers on Tuesday night.
But the game itself is slightly different from the exciting tag that goes with it, as the strength of the SPL as opposed to the Premier League, coupled with the Glaswegian giants’ money woes and their underwhelming record in England, make Sir Alex Ferguson’s charges the favourites to emerge victorious from this encounter.
The Red Devils have not had the best of fortunes in recent times, as their Premier League campaign has not begun in a strong manner. A 3-0 victory over West Ham United was sandwiched by draws against Fulham and Everton.
The draw with the Toffees was particularly hard to swallow, as Ferguson’s men shipped two goals during the dying moments of the game to drop two points at Goodison Park.
Off-field affairs have also cast a shadow over the club, as the media furore surrounding star striker Wayne Rooney – following reports concerning his personal life – saw the 68-year-old boss leave out the hitman for the trip to play his former club.
However, Ferguson has maintained that Rooney will play in this game, and the familiar hunting ground of Old Trafford should provide the forward with a good platform to let his football become the talking point once again.
Gers Are The Obvious Underdogs...
Rangers are clearly the underdogs in this clash, and face the difficult task of battling a United squad whose progression into the last 16 of the tournament is sometimes taken as a foregone conclusion.
It is also worthy of note that the home side have lost just once in their last 25 European nights at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’. The defeat was to Turkish side Besiktas, with some ‘credit’ going to the under-strength United line-up fielded on the day.
In the meantime, Gers have begun their SPL campaign in style by registering four victories in as many games played. This should give the current Scottish champions some confidence as they go into this game.
Rangers boss Walter Smith has expressed a considerable amount of respect towards the achievements of United, but insists that his charges will be looking forward to clashing with one of the most successful clubs in England.
"It's a great game to kick off the campaign with, and there's no question we couldn't have had a tougher one," he said. "Any footballer worth his salt would want to go and play at Old Trafford so it is a game that we will look forward to.
"They have a supreme pedigree when it comes to the Champions League and it is not often that they don't make it to the late stages.
"They achieve a great level of consistency in European competition, but we know all about them and it will be a challenge we look forward to."
In the meantime, veteran defender David Weir has vowed to give their opponents a run for their money as both sides begin their European campaign.
"We will try to make it as difficult as possible for Manchester United," he said.
TEAM NEWS
Manchester United
With a heated game against Liverpool coming up at the weekend, manager Sir Alex Ferguson could make a few changes to his line-up.Rio Ferdinand has returned to fitness, and should resume his partnership with Nemanja Vidic in the heart of defence.
In the meantime, Luis Antonio Valencia could return to the starting line-up, having not played any part in the game against Everton. And, most importantly, Wayne Rooney will return to the front line for the first time following the turmoil in his personal life was uncovered by a Sunday newspaper.
Possible starting XI: Van der Sar, Rafael, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Valencia, Fletcher, Gibson, Park; Rooney, Berbatov.
Rangers
Kirk Broadfoot was injured during the recent game against Hamilton Academical, so Steven Whittaker should man the right full-back position.Kenny Miller could be played as a lone striker, as manager Walter Smith could come out with a slightly defensive approach considering that his side are playing away to United.
The Gers' poor record in England could also be a factor, as a draw will be a welcome result for the Scottish champions.
Possible starting XI: McGregor; Whittaker, Weir, Bougherra, Papac; Lafferty, Edu, McCulloch, Davis, Naismith; Miller.
Prediction
 Man Utd. 3-0 Rangers |  | |
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