Sport

Safety of fans a worry for United

ALEX FERGUSON has admitted that off-field concerns could overshadow Manchester United's Champions League quarter-final tie against…

MARK OGDEN
Sat Mar 15 2008 - 00:00

ALEX FERGUSON has admitted that off-field concerns could overshadow Manchester United's Champions League quarter-final tie against Roma following the violence that marred the meetings between the two clubs at the same stage of last season's competition.

The Premier League champions must take a continental route to the final after being paired with the Serie A high-flyers ahead of a possible semi-final encounter with the winners of the quarter-final tie between the German side Schalke 04 and the 2006 winners, Barcelona.

However, despite completing the 8-3 aggregate victory against Roma last season, which included a 7-1 win at Old Trafford, bloody clashes between United supporters and Italian police in the Olympic Stadium, and further trouble in Manchester ahead of the second leg, have placed security issues high on the agenda, especially so considering stabbing incidents involving several United fans when the two clubs met again in the group stages last December.

Ferguson said: "Away from the football, obviously my biggest concern is the fans. During the game in Rome this season the security was much improved, but there will be even more fans travelling with us for this match. That said, I have a feeling it will be another great European tie.

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"It's incredible because I had a strong feeling that we would draw an English side and it's amazing to think that we will have played Roma six times in a year. That makes it an intriguing tie because we know a lot about Roma, but they know a lot about us."

Ben Foster will make his United debut against the Premier League's basement team Derby County at Pride Park today, three years after arriving at the club from Stoke City. Foster, who has one England cap to his name, has been sidelined since last May with a cruciate knee-ligament injury. The goalkeeper is being drafted in because Edwin van der Sar has a groin injury and Tomasz Kuszczak is suspended. Ferguson said: "Everyone recognises that he is potentially the top goalkeeper that England have available and I think he is above them all."