United on the goal trail

Alex Ferguson will order his Manchester United team to go for goals as they look to secure a place in the Champions League final at Arsenal tonight.

Despite dominating the first leg at Old Trafford last week, United travel to the Emirates Stadium with just a single-goal advantage.

Crucially, however, they did not concede a precious away goal, meaning if they do score against Arsene Wenger’s men, the Gunners would need three to set up a meeting with either Chelsea or Barcelona in Rome on May 27.

As United have not conceded that many since their semi-final hammering by AC Milan at the San Siro two years ago, it seems an unlikely scenario, hence his call for Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and company to find the net.

“We have to go there with the intent of trying to score,” said Ferguson.

“The important thing is to have a threat and hopefully we manage it.

“We have the ability to score and if we can it would put us in a very strong position.”

United’s position in what Ferguson believes will be an “engrossing game” is strengthened by the likely availability of Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra.

The defensive duo were both rated doubtful at one point.

However, Ferdinand has shrugged off the rib injury suffered in the first-leg and the bruised lung that forced him to cough up blood in the home dressing room at Old Trafford, while Patrice Evra should be fit despite missing training yesterday with a leg injury.

“There is nothing I don’t know about Arsenal and there is nothing they don’t know about us,” he said.

“There is nothing you can hide.

“The challenges and clashes we have had with Arsenal in the past don’t reach the proportion of this one.

“If we got the away goal then Arsenal have got to score three and that is an advantage. But it will be a tight game. It will be very close.”

Given the form he has been in lately, Rooney’s contribution will be vital.

Yet Ferguson knows the England star, along with Evra and Carlos Tevez, is only a booking away from a suspension that would rule him out of the final, if United got there.

Under the circumstances, Ferguson might be forgiven for having a quiet chat with Rooney, who has landed himself in disciplinary trouble before when he has let the red mist envelop him for no reason.

Instead, the United boss will trust Rooney to play his usual game, while making sure he stays on the right side of Italian referee Roberto Rosetti and not suffer the same fate as Roy Keane and Paul Scholes, who missed the 1999 final through suspension.

“I don’t need to address it with Wayne,” said Ferguson.

“He knows the circumstances. I don’t need to spell it out to him.

“He is a mature young man. He understands it perfectly well.

“He needs to be disciplined but most of the time he is that way.”