Sport - Football

Man U wary of AS Roma

LONDON: Manchester United isn’t taking anything for granted in the Champions League just yet.

While FC Barcelona has a narrow 1-0 lead over Schalke 04 before going into the second leg of its quarterfinal on Wednesday, United holds a 2-0 advantage over AS Roma ahead of the teams’ meeting at Old Trafford.

But injuries to its two central defenders and a dangerous opponent mean a semifinal berth is far from assured.

“We’ll be approaching the game as we would any other, no matter that we’re 2-0 up,” United defender Wes Brown said. “We can’t afford to sit back because if they get a goal they’re well and truly back in it.”

With Nemanja Vidic definitely out and Rio Ferdinand having injured his left foot during the weekend, Brown could fill in at centre-back against Roma, which is second to Inter Milan in the Italian league.

He could end up playing alongside Gerard Pique, who came in for Ferdinand during the 2-2 draw with Middlesbrough that kept United three points clear of Chelsea at the top of the Premier League.

The 21-year-old Pique has already scored two goals in three Champions League appearances for United, including one in November’s 4-0 win over Dynamo Kiev.

The defensive uncertainty could give Roma, which lost 7-1 at Old Trafford at the same stage last year and then 1-0 in this season’s group stage, the chance of an unlikely comeback.

“I think the 7-1 game will be in the minds of those Roma players who played because it’s not a nice thing to be involved in,” Brown said. “And I’m sure they’ll be going for revenge. So everyone will have to be on their toes.”

Roma beat Genoa 3-2 at the weekend to stay four points behind Inter and defender Philippe Mexes, who will probably be given the task of marking United’s in-form winger Cristiano Ronaldo, is focused on getting another good result.

“We started really well in the first leg and there was a feeling we could have got more from the game.”

Ronaldo put United ahead in the 39th minute in Rome with his 36th goal of the season — he took his tally to 37 against Middlesbrough — before Wayne Rooney made it 2-0 in the 66th minute. Defenders Mikael Silvestre and Gary Neville, United’s captain who has not played for more than a year, trained on Tuesday. Nani and Louis Saha sat out, however, meaning Ronaldo and Rooney are sure to lead the attack again.

“We’ll be looking to score first because that gives us a great chance,” Brown said. “At the same time we can’t be gung-ho, but if we get some chances we’ll focus on putting them away.”

Barcelona also needs a goal to allay any nerves it might have against Schalke and progress to a semifinal meeting against either United or Roma.

“Nothing has been decided yet because Schalke are capable of coming back,” Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure said. “We produced a professional performance and got a great result, but we’ll need to concentrate just as hard again if we want to qualify.”

The Champions League, which Barcelona won in 2006 to add to its 1992 European Cup trophy, appears to represent the Catalan powerhouse’s best chance of a title this season. It is third in the Spanish league, seven points behind leader Real Madrid.

Star forwards Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho should be fit to play against the German club after injury. — AP

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