UNITED KINGDOM: SOCCER / FOOTBALL - Manchester United train ahead of their second leg Champions League match against Lille

Record ID: 336086

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: SOCCER / FOOTBALL - Manchester United train ahead of their second leg Champions League match against Lille
  • Date: 6th March 2007
  • Summary: GARY NEVILLE ON THE BALL
  • Embargoed: 21st March 2007 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAD9TFHCLN2788475BREHRH74Y9
  • Story Text: Rooney was substituted during United's Premier League win over Liverpool last Saturday with a knee injury which required stitches.
    However, scans showed no serious damage and United manager Alex Ferguson confirmed the England international would be available for the second leg of the last-16 tie at Old Trafford. United won the first match 1-0.
    "Wayne is fine. We have a couple of doubts, but Wayne is not one of them," Ferguson told reporters.
    After two weeks of protests, appeals and insults, United and Lille conclude their first knockout round tie with United firm favourites to advance to the last eight.
    Both teams warmed up for the match with weekend wins, United staying nine points clear at the top of the Premier League with a late goal securing a 1-0 win at Liverpool, while Lille ended a three-game losing streak with a 4-0 win over Troyes.
    United also have a one-goal advantage over Lille after winning the first leg 1-0 thanks to a quickly-taken free-kick by Ryan Giggs which incensed the Lille players to protest about the goal so vehemently the club have been charged by UEFA with improper conduct.
    Crowd trouble earlier at Lens' Felix-Bollaert Stadium landed Lille in trouble with UEFA with a hearing set for March 22, while their appeal against the validity of the goal has already been rejected by UEFA.
    Lille are still seething over what they claim was an illegal goal by Giggs with Nigerian striker Peter Odemwingie saying the referee made a mistake.
    "In France we always wait for the whistle, but even considering the rule about quick free-kicks, this goal was not valid. We had already been organising ourselves for several seconds," he said.
    United manager Alex Ferguson fuelled matters on Friday when he said Lille should have had players sent off for leaving the field in protest at the goal and said he thought it would be a major upset if Lille were to win the tie now.
    "Of course it will be a tough match and you treat every opponent with respect, but I think we can build on what we did in France and go through."
    Although they did not play all that well, Saturday's win at Liverpool was their ninth in their last 10 matches -- and they have also lost only one of their last 27 home Champions League games.
    Lille held them to a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford last season before beating them 1-0 in France in the group stage. But United though have never lost at home to a French club in 10 previous European matches.
    Ferguson only has minor injury worries to concern him and is likely to stick largely with the team that played on Saturday which should mean a last competitive home appearance for Henrik Larsson before he returns to Helsingborg at the end of his loan spell.
    Lille will welcome back winger Kader Keita who was suspended for the first leg in Lens.
    Manager Claude Puel decided to rest influential midfielder Mathieu Bodmer against Troyes with Keita and Ludovic Obraniak playing only one hour each.
    "We will try to remember what happened in the first leg and what we did against Troyes for this match," said Lille defender Mathieu Chalme.
    "We do not want to leave Manchester with regrets. We travel there with condidence."
    Probable teams:
    Manchester United: 1-Edwin Van der Sar; 2-Gary Neville, 5-Rio Ferdinand, 15-Nemanja Vidic 3-Patrice Evra; 7-Cristiano Ronaldo, 16-Michael Carrick, 18-Paul Scholes, 11-Ryan Giggs; 8-Wayne Rooney, 17-Henrik Larsson
    Lille: 1-Tony Sylva; 21-Mathieu Chalme, 4-Efstathios Tavlaridis, 25-Nicolas Plestan, 20-Gregory Tafforeau; 17-Jean II Makoun, 12-Mathieu Bodmer, 23-Kader Keita; 13-Nicolas Fauvergue, 35-Ludovic Obraniak, 14-Peter Odemwingie Referee: Luis Medina Cantalejo (Spain) Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has been passed fit to face Lille in the Champions League on Wednesday following an injury scare.
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