Tuesday, 12th April, 2011
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has warned his side that the conditions at Old Trafford in tonight’s Champions League quarter-final second leg will favour Chelsea far more than they could any foreign side.
United hold a one-goal lead from the first leg at Stamford Bridge and have never lost a Champions League knockout tie when leading from playing a first leg away from home. But Ferguson believes they must forget about that record, because facing Chelsea is different.
"A British team coming here is different to a European team", said Ferguson. "Although Juventus and Milan, over the years, have played here a few times."
"For Chelsea, they are here every year. There’s a familiarity with the stadium, the size of the pitch, the conditions of the pitch. All these things are in their favour compared with other European teams.
"We’ll see – it will be an interesting game."
United will benefit from the return of a fresh Wayne Rooney this evening, after the striker missed the win over Fulham due to his two-match ban. Rooney will surely be keen to make amends for his outburst at West Ham which will also see him miss Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City.
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