United back by the Bosphorus

LATE autumn in the Champions League, it seems, is almost bound to find Manchester United awaiting events by the Bosphorus. Tonight's game against Fenerbahce is their third successive visit to Turkey as England's representatives in this tournament, and if they are to make better progress this time they cannot afford to lose.

So far United have suffered nothing but dirty work at the crossroads linking Europe with Asia. Recent visits to Istanbul have found them facing a Turkish dilemma. Delight has been in short supply.

Three years ago here they went out of the European Cup in the second round to Galatasaray, who were content to share a scoreless draw on their ground after holding United 3-3 at Old Trafford and went through on away goals. Eric Cantona was shown the red card at the final whistle for abusing the Swiss referee, and two Manchester United players were assaulted by riot police.

The following season United were back by the Golden Horn, again facing Galatasaray and again drawing 0-0, a result which did precious little to offset their humiliating defeats in Barcelona and Gothenburg.

Now they are facing Fenerbahce. and while a third barren stalemate would not have the depressing consequences of its predecessors, a gristly piece of Turkey would still be stuck in United's craw.

At least the prospects of Manchester United achieving something better are promising. Fenerbahce, coached by Sebastian Lazaroni, who was in charge of Brazil for the 1990 World Cup, are not shaping up as well as Galatasaray. In the preliminary round they struggled to beat Maccabi Tel Aviv, who forced a 1-1 draw here after losing 1-0 in Israel.

Fenerbahce's principal foreign influence is Emil Kostadinov, the Bulgarian striker previously with Bayern Munich, who has just completed a three-match European ban after being sent off against Maccabi.

Kostadinov, scorer of the late Bulgarian goal that denied France a place in the 1994 World Cup, leads the attack alongside the Bosnian Elvir Bolic. Jay Jay Okocha, a Nigerian midfielder with a penchant for dribbling, was signed from Eintracht Frankfurt during the summer

Fenerbahce's reported weakness on the flanks indicates that they have nobody to plague Manchester United the way Kubilay Turkyilmaz did for Galatasaray. Yet the presence of Benhur Babaoglu in Lazaroni's squad suggests they are not entirely bereft of the means to drive a chariot or two through United's defence.

Much is going to depend on the way Alex Ferguson approaches tonight's game. A month ago he played two wide men, Cruyff and Poborsky, against Juventus in Turin, but attempted to narrow the team's movements in the hope of denying the opposition attacking space.

The result was chaotic. Neither Cruyff nor Poborsky showed any inclination to track back, with the result that Juventus frequently opened up United's defence and should have won by more than Alen Boksic's lone goal.

So much depends on Gary Pallister shaking off the recurring back problem which forced him to miss Saturday's game against Liverpool. David May and Ronny Johnsen played well enough in that match, but Ferguson would be more comfortable if Pallister were around.

He could play Pallister and Johnsen, as he did in Turin, or retain May and play Johnsen in front of the back four. Either way. Nicky Butt is expected to fill an important role as deputy for the recovering Roy Keane. Ryan Giggs is the other main doubt with an ankle injury.

Juventus, who won 1-0 in the Fenerbahce Stadium while Manchester United were beating Rapid Vienna 2-0, lead Group C of the Champions League with six points from two games. United have three and Fenerbahce and Rapid one apiece from their 1-1 draw in Vienna.

Ferguson is convinced that 10, possibly nine, points will be enough to take Manchester United to the quarter-finals.

Clearly they need a minimum of four from their two encounters with Fenerbahce, so a point tonight, as Ferguson conceded, will be satisfactory. So long as United do not go looking for a draw.

In fact a victory should be within the grasp of Ferguson's team. "We will prove we have not got this far by chance," Lazaroni said defiantly, but if the English presence in the most prestigious European club competition is ever going to regain its former eminence then matches like this need to be won.

True, Fenerbahce did once beat Manchester City. But that hardly puts them in select company.