UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Manchester Utd v Celtic:MANCHESTER UNITED versus Celtic will always be more than just a football match.
It is one of the sport's great occasions, albeit one that looks a little lopsided right now as Gordon Strachan rues the absence of Georgios Samaras - the Greek international who came to be known by the unfortunate nickname of "Tragedy" during his time at Manchester City - whereas Alex Ferguson's biggest call is the "torment" of trying to accommodate Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez, Cristiano Ronaldo and Dimitar Berbatov in the same team.
Four into three does not go and Tevez is likely to be the odd one out again tonight, with Ferguson giving serious consideration to playing Rooney on the left, Ronaldo on the right and Berbatov as the arrowhead of a 4-3-2-1 formation.
That would inevitably raise some eyebrows given that Ferguson told a news conference yesterday he was likely to leave out Ronaldo because he was struggling to cope with playing every three or four days, only a few weeks back from an ankle operation. Ferguson, however, loves to throw in the occasional red herring and, long after the camera crews and assorted journalists had left, the word from Old Trafford was that it was more likely Ronaldo would start the game and come off in the second half.
If so, it was a moment of classic Ferguson, never missing an opportunity to try to bamboozle an opposition manager, especially when the man in question is someone with whom he is barely on speaking terms.
Ferguson's feud with Strachan, his former player at Aberdeen and United, is not quite what it used to be but he almost fell off his chair when a Scottish journalist asked whether the two men had similarities because of all the time they spend in each other's company.
"All the time I spend in his company?" Ferguson queried. "Where have you been these last years?"
Ferguson, it should be noted, went on to say Strachan had done a "great job" at Celtic and cited United's 3-2 victory over the same opponents two seasons ago when even the usually unflappable Rio Ferdinand got "ruffled up". Celtic won the return game 1-0 and Ferguson expects another tough encounter.
"Being Celtic, and it being Scotland versus England, they will be forced to have a go," he said. "They are not going to sit back. They will come and play their football and if they get the opportunity to have a go they will do."
Ferguson intends to warn his players that they will be playing into Celtic's hands if they allow themselves to be drawn into Anglo-Scottish hostilities. He makes similar utterances before every Manchester derby, instructing his players to let their class tell and not to be carried away with the sense of occasion.
There is logic in his words although Celtic's record outside of Glasgow is so miserable it is difficult to foresee anything but a home victory, especially when considering the injury problems afflicting United's opponents.
Strachan is not just missing Samaras but also Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and a clutch of other players and the Celtic manager suggested his team were so short, in terms of inches, he should get Snow White to lead them out. Add to that Celtic's away record in the Champions League - played 18, won zero, drawn one, lost 17, scored 10, conceded 37 - and it is easy to understand why every Glaswegian inside Old Trafford, bar the one in the home dug-out, might have misgivings as they encounter a team that are unbeaten for 16 Champions League games at home and, in the Premier League, have won 19 of the last 21 games on their own ground.
Ferguson confirmed Patrice Evra will be missing because of a slight hamstring strain that makes him "too big a risk".
United, nonetheless, will be favourites to consolidate their position at the top of Group E and, while Strachan spoke about making do without Samaras, the difference between the teams was summed up by Ferguson facing questions about Ronaldo's chances of winning 2008 Ballon d'Or. "I'm sure of it," he said, "If he doesn't, I'd like to sign the player who does."
Guardian Service
