Spaniards look to warm up with win in murky Manchester

VILLARREAL flew into murky Manchester on their latest Champions League mission, declaring: “We are more frightened of the weather than United.”

The dense fog and freezing temperatures are far removed from the conditions the Spanish outfit are used to.

Gloves and hats were the order of the day during training and with no immediate improvement in conditions expected, Manuel Pellegrini’s squad are unlikely to return home with tales of glorious British weather.

Instead, they hope to be boasting about their part in United’s demise.

And, after assessing the form of Alex Ferguson’s men in a disappointing European campaign so far, Villarreal striker Jose Mari is more concerned about what comes out of the sky than anything the Red Devils can produce.

“I am frightened of a few things, but not other footballers,” he said.

“The weather is not too good at the moment, but once we have done the warm-up we should be okay. Let’s hope it is the cold which is our biggest threat, not United.”

Victory for the visitors would secure their place in the knock-out phase with a game to spare and leave United desperately hoping Lille do not beat Benfica at the same time otherwise their own challenge will be over.

It is not the scenario most pundits would have expected when Ferguson took his team to Spain for the opening group outing in September.

The dismissal of Wayne Rooney and the loss of Gabriel Heinze for the season with cruciate ligament damage ensured United’s trip to the El Madrigal was not a memorable one, even if, at the time, the goalless draw looked to be a good point gained.

Since then, United have got Rooney back from suspension, but lost Roy Keane for good following the tumultuous events of Friday. And Jose Mari acknowledges the Irishman’s loss is a blow to the hosts.

“Roy Keane was a very important piece in the United jigsaw,” he said.

“They have to miss him, although I am not sure whether the biggest impact will be on or off the field.”

With former United striker Diego Forlan missing an emotional return to Old Trafford with a hamstring injury and star man Juan Roman Riquelme ruled out after suffering a thigh strain in training yesterday, Villarreal’s chances of maintaining an unbeaten record against English opposition in European combat have been hindered significantly.

And, though the hosts would appear to be in a position of weakness given their failure to register a victory over Lille, Villarreal coach Manuel Pellegrini is urging caution.

“Despite the season they have been having, I don’t think there is any doubt Manchester United are one of the best sides in Europe,” he said.

“You only have to look at the size of the stadium and assess the sheer magnitude of the club to realise they will always be considered as one of Europe’s greats.

“We know it is going to be a difficult game for us. But they have to win to retain any chance of qualification, so there is more pressure on them to come forward and attack than when we played them in Spain.”