Carrick: Let's keep it going

Michael Carrick is urging his United team-mates to maintain their Champions League winning streak and finish their group campaign with a 100 per cent record in Rome on Wednesday night.

The Reds have won all five of their Group F fixtures ensuring they go through to the knock-out stages as group winners. Roma have also qualified rendering the final match between the pair a dead rubber.

Nevertheless, Carrick is hoping the Reds, minus the majority of their first team regulars, will leave Italy with maximum points.

"It would be some achievement if we could finish with a 100 per cent record," he told reporters at the pre-match press conference.

"It will give us all more confidence and self-belief as it will be some achievement. The fact that only three teams [AC Milan, Spartak Moscow and Barcelona] have ever won all their group games before is a statement that, if we do it, we are a very good team.

"Wednesday's game is still a huge match irrespective of the situation in the group and we want to keep the momentum going and finish with six wins.

"It was a great experience to be involved in the games last season and it'll be a fantastic experience for the young lads on the trip. We're all looking forward to it."

While Carrick is hopeful of victory, he concedes that it's during the latter stages of the competition when the Reds really need to hit top gear.

"We want to win in Rome, but it's important that we produce on the big stage when it really counts," he insisted. "The squad is looking very strong at the moment and you've seen that whoever steps in to play is more than capable of doing a job.

"It'll be during the latter stages of the season when you need as many of your big players as fit as possible. That's probably the time when the squad will really come into its own and hopefully we can do well."