United name strongest line-up

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson named his strongest possible line-up to face Champions League holders Real Madrid in the Bernabeu Stadium tonight.

Ferguson scotched pre-match rumours that skipper Roy Keane would start in defence by selecting the Irishman in his usual midfield berth, with Nicky Butt chosen alongside him after starting Saturday’s win over Liverpool on the bench.

With Juan Sebastian Veron injured and Phil Neville suspended, Butt was an automatic choice for the first leg of this eagerly-anticipated quarter-final, as was England captain David Beckham, who replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on the right of midfield.

Beckham has never previously got the better of flying Brazilian full-back Roberto Carlos, but he was hoping for more luck tonight as United chased the away goal they failed to get against the same opposition three years ago, when Real hit back in the second leg to send the then holders out of the competition.

Ferguson had expressed his dismay that Carlos had not been banned from tonight’s clash after his physical assault on the referee during last week’s international defeat by Portugal.

However, while those comments angered Real coach Vicente del Bosque, the furore was nothing compared to that created by Ferguson’s claim UEFA had fixed the draw in an attempt to prevent his team getting to the final.

The Scot apologised for his comments yesterday, but that has failed to stop European football’s governing body from launching an investigation into the allegations.

It all added to the atmosphere of a contest which hardly needed building up anyway considering it pitted the world’s two biggest clubs in opposition, with all eyes falling on a United defence which had to find a way of keeping Zinedine Zidane, Raul, Ronaldo and Luis Figo quiet.

Real Madrid: Casillas, Salgado, Hierro, Helguera, Carlos, Figo, Flavio, Zidane, Makelele, Raul, Ronaldo.

Subs: Cesar, McManaman, Morientes, Guti, Portillo, Solari, Pavon.

Man Utd: Barthez, Gary Neville, Ferdinand, Brown, Silvestre, Beckham, Keane, Butt, Giggs, Scholes, van Nistelrooy.

Subs: Ricardo, Blanc, Solskjaer, Forlan, O’Shea, Fortune, Fletcher.

Referee: Anders Frisk (Sweden).