CHAMPION'S LEAGUE GROUP F: Alex Ferguson yesterday looked back on the first two months of the season and challenged his Manchester United team to improve.
In the opening weeks of the campaign, Ferguson's side have been forced to overcome a series of injuries to key personnel, including skipper Roy Keane, £30 million defender Rio Ferdinand and midfielder Paul Scholes.
Despite sloppy draws at Chelsea and Sunderland, plus successive defeats to Bolton and Leeds, United have still scrambled to fourth in the table, albeit six points adrift of the unstoppable Arsenal.
They will also be defending a 100 per cent Champions League record when Olympiakos visit Old Trafford tonight.
Yet hard taskmaster Ferguson insists more could have been done and, while praising the effort and commitment of his squad, admitted chances have been squandered.
"We could have done better," he said. "The bitter pill comes from the matches at Chelsea, Sunderland and Leeds. We should have won those games easily and we are disappointed with that.
"The way the league is shaping up at the moment, you can't afford a lot of mistakes. But we are coming into a decent run of form and hopefully we can keep it going."
Paul Scholes marked his quick return from knee surgery to grab the equaliser against Charlton on Saturday, Ferguson having started the England international in an advanced position before dropping him into midfield following the departure of Nicky Butt midway through the second half.
The United boss has indicated he again plans to use Scholes just behind a lone striker this term, a position the player did not look comfortable with last season but one his manager feels he will have few peers in when he does adjust.
"I can't ignore how much of a relief it is to have Paul back in the side," he said. "It doesn't matter whether it is midfield or attack, he is such a great player you know he will produce.
"It is never easy when you are missing players like that."
Keane remains on the sidelines after his hip operation, while Wes Brown is recovering from a broken ankle.
Aside from that pair there is a doubt over top scorer Ruud van Nistelrooy, who has scored five goals in four games. The Dutchman sustained a hamstring injury against Bayer Leverkusen which restricted him to a bench role at the weekend.
He still managed to claim a late strike on his arrival, but Ferguson is aware of the gamble he is taking by continuing to play the £18million striker. "I took a risk with Ruud on Saturday but if we keep playing him the injury could get worse," said Ferguson. "We have kept it in check quite well so far but it is a problem."
With Juan Sebastian Veron back after flu, Mikael Silvestre now recovered from a minor knee injury and Ferguson likely to accept a "good opportunity" to give Gary Neville his first start for four months at the expense of John O'Shea, Van Nistelrooy's fitness holds the key to the home starting line-up.
If the Dutchman makes it, Scholes is likely to operate just behind. If not, Ryan Giggs could be pushed into a more attacking role, with Scholes moving alongside Butt in central midfield and Veron operating wide.
Either way, if United can extend a 16-match unbeaten streak in the Champions League with their third successive victory, it will take them to within a single point of Ferguson's qualification target.
Olympiakos, beaten twice by United last term, started their present campaign with a 6-2 hammering of Bayer Leverkusen. However, the Greeks followed that up with an equally remarkable 3-0 reverse to Maccabi Haifa.
MANCHESTER UNITED (probable 4-4-1-1): Barthez; G Neville, Ferdinand, Blanc, Silvestre; Beckham, Butt, Veron, Giggs; Scholes; Solskjaer.
OLYMPIAKOS (4-1-4-1): Eleftheropoulos; Patsatzoglou, Antzas, Anatolakis, Venetidis; Karembeu; Giannakopoulos, Zetterberg, Ze Elias, Djordjevic; Giovanni.
Referee: G Veissiere (France).
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