UEFA Champions League Group E/ Panathinaikos v Man Utd: Alex Ferguson concurred when asked whether Chelsea are realistic challengers for the European Cup, but Manchester United paid Claudio Ranieri's team a bigger compliment yesterday when they arrived in Greece for tonight's tie against Panathinaikos without Roy Keane.
While his team-mates flew into Athens, Keane was training alone at the club's practice ground, with Ferguson describing it as a "precautionary measure" to protect his captain from potential injury ahead of Sunday's trip to Stamford Bridge.
Keane has cited a tight hamstring and Ferguson said the decision was taken "in mind of the Chelsea match". Asked if he believed the London club were not only challenging for the Premiership but also to be crowned European champions, he replied: "I wouldn't disagree with that."
It is precisely the need for caution which saw the Old Trafford midfield so dramatically revamped during the close season.
While the jury is still out on Eric Djemba-Djemba and Kleberson - despite an impressive show against Blackburn - Ferguson believes the changes have laid a solid platform for future success.
"I wanted to bring in players who would develop and get better," he said.
"Both Kleberson and Eric Djemba-Djemba are young enough to improve. We also have Darren Fletcher - who is an excellent footballer - as well as Phil Neville, Nicky Butt and Roy Keane.
"Roy is the only one we worry about in terms of age, because he is 32. He has the desire, and it is possible he could do it.
"But other than that we have no fears about the midfield. We have good, strong options in central midfield - and there is a lot of potential there."
In which case it is logical to rest Keane's ageing limbs from a match that United need only draw to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages.
A gamble it may be, but a sensible one considering the midfield options available to Ferguson for the 4-2-3-1 system he favours in Europe.
Even with Eric Djemba-Djemba allowed compassionate leave because his mother is ill, Ferguson can fall back on Nicky Butt or, failing that, Kleberson or Quinton Fortune to play as the second holding midfielder alongside Phil Neville, who for the only time in his career can regard himself as an automatic first-team choice.
Ferguson spoke in lavish terms about the one-time utility player, describing Neville as having undergone a "revolution" and saying he could now "regard himself as a full-time central midfielder".
"Nobody could be a second Roy Keane. But Phil deserves his place because his form has been superb," said Ferguson.
"For many years we regarded him as a utility player. In the past we have played him in both full-back positions, the right and left-hand side of midfield and then in the centre.
"But when it came to picking my strongest team he always seemed to be left on the side.
"Now he has discovered a position he feels suited to. He has matured so much, and the level of his performances means it is very difficult to replace him in the team."
While United are nine points better off in the Premiership than at the same stage last season and have a record of qualifying for the Champions League quarter-finals in each of the last seven seasons, Panathinaikos have the worst defensive tally in this season's competition, including a 5-0 defeat at Old Trafford in September.
Every main road in Athens may feel like a car park but, given that their opponents have failed to score in 10 of their last 11 home games in Europe, United's route to the last 16 should be more straightforward than negotiating the streets between the team's hotel and the 15,000-capacity Apostolos Nikolaidis stadium.
Beyond that, the incentive to win tonight is that by finishing top of their group they will avoid the other winners, such as Real Madrid and probably Juventus, in the next round.
Panathinaikos will host United without central defender Nassif Morris after the South African picked up a knee injury in Saturday's 1-1 draw away to Olympiakos. Coach Itzhak Shum is expected to switch from a 5-3-2 to a four-man defence, and add Romanian Lucian Sanmartean to the midfield, as they look for a win that would revive hopes of a UEFA Cup berth.
Meanwhile, the Football Association are hoping to announce the date for Rio Ferdinand's hearing for failing to attend a drugs test at some point next week. Ferdinand has decided to contest an FA charge of failure or refusal to take a drugs test after he missed a random test at United's Carrington training.
PROBABLE LINE-UPS
PANATHINAIKOS (4-3-2-1): Nikopolidis; Michaelsen, Henriksen, Goumas, Konstantinidis; Seitaridis, Basinas, Maric; Sanmartean, Papadopoulos; Konstantinou.
MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1): Howard; G Neville, Ferdinand, Silvestre, O'Shea; Butt, P Neville; Kleberson, Fortune, Giggs; Van Nistelrooy.
Referee: J Wegereef (Netherlands).
Guardian Service
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