Sports / Soccer |
Queiroz wants United to keep cool(Reuters)Updated: 2007-03-07 13:59 Manchester United and Lille renew Champions League hostilities at Old Trafford on Wednesday, two weeks after a stormy first leg of their first knockout round tie sparked protests, insults and UEFA charges. United grabbed a fortunate 1-0 victory in Lens' Felix-Bollaert Stadium, Lille's home for Champions League matches, with a quickly-taken Ryan Giggs free kick that caused uproar amongst Lille players who briefly walked off in protest. Lille, who subsequently appealed unsuccessfully to UEFA to have the goal ruled out, have since been charged with improper conduct and also find themselves in hot water over crowd disturbances during the game. The northern French club are still seething, with goalkeeper Tony Sylva accusing Giggs on Tuesday of "anti-sporting behaviour" and they will provide feisty resistance to a United side who lead the Premier League by nine points. United's preparations have been hit by injuries to striker Louis Saha and midfielder Darren Fletcher, both of whom are ruled out of the return. Paul Scholes and Patrice Evra are struggling to be fit. The good news for the Reds is that England striker Wayne Rooney, who hobbled off in the 1-0 victory over Liverpool on Saturday, has been declared fit. 'COOL APPROACH' United have never lost to a French club at home and are strong favourites to progress, although assistant manager Carlos Queiroz has called for calm heads in what is likely to be crackling atmosphere. "We are in front so we need a cool approach to the game," he told United's Web site (www.manutd.com). "We've got to control the game from the very first minute. "We must make our Theatre of Dreams a nightmare for them." Lille will be bolstered by the return of winger Kader Keita who was suspended for the first leg. Elsewhere on Wednesday, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, who between them have won Europe's glittering club prize 13 times, will slug it out in the Allianz Arena. Real, who will be without the rejuvenated David Beckham and Jose Antonio Reyes because of injury, edged the home leg 3-2 but Bayern have run into a rich vein of form at just the right time. Italian six-times winners AC Milan have also seen the light after a difficult season, winning eight of their last 10 Serie A games, and will be favourites to finish the job against Celtic after the first leg in Glasgow ended 0-0. Arsenal's entire season will be on the line when they attempt to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit against PSV Eindhoven at the Emirates Stadium. The Dutch smothered Arsenal's attacking flair two weeks ago and Gunners boss Arsene Wenger will be tempted to play talismanic striker Thierry Henry from the start of what could be a fraught evening after declaring him recovered from injury. "I feel 1-0 is a tricky score. It is difficult psychologically more than footballistically," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told the club's Web site. "But obviously we will have to strike the right balance and try and get one back as quickly as possible."
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