LITTLE RED DEVIL

Sir Alex Ferguson was convinced that United would draw a familiar face in the Champions League quarter finals, but he hadn't reckoned it being AS Roma, whom the Reds have met four times in the last year.The Reds boss was sure his side would be paired with an English opponent. In actual fact, United cannot now not meet Premier League opposition until the final."It’s incredible," Sir Alex told ManUtd.com after the draw. "I had a strong feeling that we would draw an English side."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."United are keen to avoid a repeat of the off-the- field trouble that marred the Reds' visit to Rome at this stage of last season's competition. However, Sir Alex is confident that will be the case."Away from the football, obviously my biggest concern is the fans," he said. "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."Roma coach Luciano Spalletti met news of the draw with caution, but admits his side have a chance to avenge their 7-1 mauling in last season's quarter-final second leg.“They will be very tough opponents,” he said. “Everyone here seemed to be shocked at the draw. We carry the 7-1 defeat with us and it has helped us to mature. This is a chance to put things right. They may be the stronger side, but I would say that we have a 50 per cent chance of getting through.”

Carlos Queiroz insists it's vital the players get over their FA Cup exit as quickly as possible and focus their efforts on Premier League and European glory.United's assistant boss admits the quarter-final defeat to Portsmouth last weekend was a bitter pill to swallow, but he remains confident in the team's ability to bounce back from adversity."We were very down after the Portsmouth game. It was a bad feeling because we felt the trophy escaped from our grasp," Queiroz told MUTV."There was a lot of frustration and sadness amongst the team and the staff. But the most important thing now is to show the right attitude, the Manchester United attitude and bounce back from what happened. We need to keep moving forward."

"Why not get Arsenal? I don't give a damn," he is quoted as saying in the Daily Express. "I have played every year against Arsenal. We drew 2-2 on their ground and we can't wait to play them again next month. We beat them 4-0 in the FA Cup, too."

"You have to say they struck a big blow in knocking out the holders, but, basically, Arsenal don't scare me," he said. "The only team I am looking at for the next round of the Champions League are Manchester United. "It would be a mistake to say we'd rather have Fenerbahce than Barcelona, say. That's when you get hit. Look at Real Madrid when they played us at Monaco in the quarter-finals in 2004. "They were so confident they booked their hotel for the semi-final - but they hadn't reckoned on us. You have to stay concentrated." Patrice Evra

Van der Sar out of action?
"Edwin started to feel his injury after a couple of minutes (against Portsmouth) when he was striking the ball."At half-time we decided there was no chance he could keep going."- Carlos Queiroz

United may have to give Ben Foster his competitive debut against Derby in the wake of Edwin van der Sar's groin injury and Tomasz Kuszczak's automatic suspension

Report: United 0 Portsmouth 1

United's treble dreams came to an end against Portsmouth at Old Trafford on Saturday. But how this FA Cup quarter final tie ended in anything other than a Reds victory is a mystery. Call it fate, luck (or lack of it), this simply wasn’t United’s day.

“We’re playing better than ever and we’re only point behind Arsenal in the league. I think losing to City was a wake-up call and helped us realise that if we don’t play to our best then we won’t necessarily win.”

“We’re doing well right now and I hope we’ll keep this momentum going,” Vidic says.“I want to play in the big games and win trophies; that’s why I’m at Manchester United. Every game is crucial now and it’s important we keep our shape and don’t lose too many goals.”

“You can always get better and Rio and I are always looking for ways to improve. If something happens in training and we find ourselves in a situation we’re not familiar with, we’ll discuss it and try and sort it out. If you want to play well then you must be willing to work hard and improve.”

"Our game in England has improved so much in the past few seasons I think we have proved now that we have the best league in the world. We attract the best players and, in my eyes, it's by far the best league. It is up to other players if they decide to play abroad but, for me, English football is better than anything else." - Wayne Rooney

"My colleagues and my friends help me a lot in my season, but the most important thing is to win the games and trophies. The lads play very good in three competitions, now you need to be strong for 15 more games to finish the season."- Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is delighted with his goalscoring form - but admits it will count for nothing if United fail to win any silverware this season.The Portuguese winger hit his 30th goal of the season against Lyon on Tuesday but, rather than focus on personal plaudits, he is focused solely on a collective strong finish to a promising campaign."At the moment I feel very good," he told MUTV. "I've scored a few important goals and I want to keep going like that. I want to score more goals."But the most important thing is for the team to win games and trophies. We're playing really well and we're in three competitions. Now we need to be strong for 15 more games to finish the season."

Sir Alex Ferguson has praised Darren Fletcher’s patience and determination to be an important squad member for United after turning in another impressive performance, this time against Lyon in the Champions League.Fletcher went about his work quietly but effectively, breaking up Lyon attacks and displaying his wide range of passing, reason enough for Sir Alex to feel justified in leaving Paul Scholes on the bench.“It was a big decision because Scholes’ performance against Fulham was vintage,” he said. “If the game had been on Wednesday I would have played him. But I had to ask the question with it being three days after the Fulham, especially given the time he has been out injured and his age. “Darren came in to do a job, which he did very effectively. He's not easy to play against. I wouldn’t like to play against him. He has such a long stretch, which means he can close players down quickly and he wins possession without conceding many fouls. That was important to us, because Juninho’s ability from set-pieces could have been a threat to us.”

Sir Alex Ferguson admits he has a selection dilemma on his hands for Tuesday's Champions League clash with Lyon at Old Trafford.The United boss opted to start Saturday's win at Fulham without Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Anderson, who were all on the bench.Louis Saha, Owen Hargreaves and Ji-sung Park all came into the side with the latter two getting on the scoresheet.Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick, who both impressed in midfield in the recent wins over Arsenal and Newcastle, were left out of the squad completely.Ryan Giggs and Nemanja Vidic were absent through injury, but both should be fit for the last Reds' last 16 tie with the French champions."Picking the team for Tuesday is a real headache," admitted the United boss on MUTV. "I had one team in mind before the Fulham victory, but I changed my mind at half-time!""We've got to win against Lyon - it's a massive game for the club. All the players realise that."