Fergie expects Ronaldo stay

United boss relishing Chelsea clash

By Lewis Rutledge   Last updated: 20th May 2008

Sir Alex Ferguson media May 15

Ferguson: Confident

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL
Manchester United v Chelsea
6pm, Wednesday
Sky Sports 1 & HD1
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Sir Alex Ferguson does not expect Wednesday's UEFA Champions League final to be Cristiano Ronaldo's last game for Manchester United.

There has been speculation that the Portuguese winger could be set to leave United and join Real Madrid, but Ferguson dismissed the suggestion at his pre-match press conference.

"If you want to put a bet on it I will put a big bet on it," Ferguson said on Sky Sports News.

Ferguson was in relaxed and jovial mood as he fielded questions from the media about the clash with Chelsea, but he did reveal that he had already settled on his starting line-up, which he will tell the players on Wednesday afternoon.

Nemanja Vidic had been a slight doubt after suffering concussion in the recent Premier League clash with Chelsea but Ferguson confirmed: "He is fit and will play tomorrow."

United came out on top in the Premier League title race but they have not enjoyed much success against Chelsea in recent years and Ferguson is anticipating a difficult test.

He is nevertheless confident in his side's ability and hopeful that United will become European champions for the first time since 1999.

Preparation

"Since we have won the championship we have had ten days good preparation," he said.

"It has been a long hard season but I think we are in our best shape and hopefully good enough to win this trophy.

"There is a weakness in the amount of European trophies we have won and I hope we can go some way to making that better tomorrow night.

"We will not have control for the whole of the game but we know enough about their strengths and weakness to go into the game on an equal footing, and I trust my players.

"Chelsea are a stronger team than most and they base their game on that, but we don't need to match that. We need to play to our strengths - movement, passing and the ability to create openings in a game.

"So I don't want us to change that much, although we have to pay attention to players like (Didier) Drogba, (Michael) Ballack and (Frank) Lampard."

Depth

United lost to Chelsea in the 2007 FA Cup final but Ferguson insists his squad now has much more strength in depth, and he believes his substitutes could make a decisive impact in Moscow.

"I think we are fresher and fitter. We had played so many games with the same 11 or 12 players that we had no reserves to change the game and this year we have.

"Sometimes a game is won by your substitutes. I think that is the main difference from the FA Cup final last year."

Pitch

The pitch at the Luzhniki Stadium has been criticised despite the installation of a grass surface, with some experts predicting that the ball will bobble.

However, Ferguson has no complaints, adding: "I haven't seen the pitch but I have no concerns. Uefa have done their best and the fact they have re-laid it from Astroturf to turf is a big delight to me.

"Sometimes you have to remind yourself that Old Trafford is not the best in the world."

Tevez hope

Ferguson also had words of praise for Carlos Tevez and revealed that a permanent deal for the Argentine could be sorted out in the near future.

"That is without question part of our future planning, to have Carlos Tevez at the club in a long-term situation," Ferguson said.

"I think (chief executive) David Gill is processing that and hopefully we can come to a solution. There is no question we all want him to stay.

"He's been a fantastic player for us. It amazes me that a player can have so much energy and the most important facet of his play is that he has an ability to score important goals.

"He's been a revelation for us and a fantastic professional."