Boss says starlets will shine

Sir Alex Ferguson is confident his United starlets will not be fazed by the task ahead of them on Wednesday night at the Stadio Olimpico.

The Reds' boss has brought a decidedly youthful squad to Rome in a bid to provide the club's next generation with some vital Champions League experience after United assured themselves of top spot in Group F with victory over Sporting Lisbon two weeks ago.

The likes of Gerard Pique, Danny Simpson and Jonny Evans are all set to be handed a starting berth against Roma on Wednesday night. And despite suffering an embarrassing Carling Cup defeat against Coventry City in September, Sir Alex is confident they won't let him down this time round.

"We don't want to send teams out here to get humiliated or embarrassed, that's for sure," he insisted at his pre-match briefing in the Italian capital.

"We expect any Manchester United team we field to be 100 per cent committed and I'm sure you'll see that on Wednesday night."

The Reds will be up against a Roma side Sir Alex believes is much stronger than last season. The United boss was also full of praise for the way the club have stood by manager Luciano Spalletti following the humiliating 7-1 defeat at Old Trafford in April.

"When a coach in Italy loses a game 7-1, normally the guns come out and you are dead before morning," declared the Reds' boss.

"But they trusted Luciano and stood by him. He has repaid that trust because he is an excellent coach and I am very pleased his team is doing well now."

The Reds lost out 2-1 to the Italians in the first leg of last season's quarter-final, an occasion which was marred by clashes between supporters and local police. Sir Alex remains hopeful there will be no similar instances on Wednesday night.

"Everyone who loves the game does not want to see the incidents we saw last year," he said. "Roma don't want it and Manchester United do not want it. The reputations of both clubs are very important.

"We dearly hope there are no problems and some lessons will have been learned from last season."