Wolves ready for dogfight at Old Trafford

WOLVES manager Mick McCarthy has vowed to be bold when his side face Manchester United in the Carling Cup tonight.

McCarthy, who will hand starts to strikers Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and Stefan Maierhofer and winger Michael Kightly, believes going to Old Trafford to try and frustrate United would be a mistake.

McCarthy said: “We will play 4-4-2 against them and have a game with them.

“I don’t know what team Sir Alex Ferguson will play but we will play whoever he turns out.

“We are not going there to sit back and have them attack us for 90 minutes. That would be a recipe for disaster so we will be going up there and trying to make sure that we are on the front foot for the game.

“I have never beaten Manchester United at Old Trafford in anything but we want to try to win the game.”

Meanwhile Gary Neville has received a warning from the Football Association following Sunday’s highly-charged Manchester derby.

Neville, a non-playing Manchester United substitute, was investigated for his actions in celebrating the home side’s winner by running down the touchline towards the City fans.

The FA have decided against charging him with improper conduct however.

A statement released by the FA said: “The FA has today warned both Manchester City’s Craig Bellamy and Manchester United’s Gary Neville following separate incidents in Sunday’s fixture at Old Trafford.

“Gary Neville has been reminded of his responsibilities following his actions after Manchester United’s final goal deep into injury time.”

United have also avoided any disciplinary action after City substitute Javier Garrido was struck on the head by a coin as he headed down the tunnel at half-time.

The statement added: “The FA has also contacted Manchester United regarding a coin-throwing incident during the same fixture.

“The FA fully expects the club to use all available means to identify and deal with the culprit appropriately and, along with the fan who entered the field of play, look to issue bans on attending future matches.”

Wes Brown looks set to start for United tonight while Ben Foster’s disappointing performance against City seems to have opened the door to Tomasz Kuszczak while Edwin van der Sar completes the final stages of his recovery from a broken finger. Kuszczak was always set to feature tonight but the Pole must be aware an impressive display might allow him to keep his place for Saturday’s Premier League trip to Stoke.

Republic of Ireland international Darron Gibson gets another chance to build on his reputation, while Michael Owen is set to start for only the second time this season after his match-winning exploits at the weekend.

Ferguson does have the option of pairing teenage duo Federico Macheda and Daniel Welbeck — who, like Gibson was part of United’s starting line-up for the victory over Tottenham at Wembley last March — together in attack. However, as Welbeck operated in a wider role during the FA Cup semi-final defeat to Everton, there is a chance Ferguson will operate with three strikers, supplemented by Nani and Zoran Tosic, who are also expected to be involved.