Milan defeat inspires Sir Alex

United face a severe test in Lyon on Wednesday night, but Sir Alex Ferguson is confident his side will be inspired by the disappointment of last year's semi final exit.

A 3-2 win at Old Trafford gave United a slight advantage. Two weeks later in Milan, however, an injury-hit Reds team, chasing three trophies at the time, couldn't cope with a Rosonerri side focused solely on Champions League success.

First up in the knockout stages this term are Lyon, who are themselves looking to prove that they can convert domestic domination onto the European stage. With six straight Ligue 1 titles, this season's league leaders are a formidable force. But Sir Alex is confident.

"We got the hardest draw in terms of the teams we could have faced, but I think we can navigate it successfully," he told Inside United. "Lyon have won their league for the last six years and they’re top again this year, so I expect it to be a tough game."

The Reds boss admits that last year's defeat to Milan was difficult to take. "We want to do well this year in the Champions League," he added. "Losing to Milan last year really hurt us. We just didn’t have the legs. We had a bad injury spell in March, which killed us.

"We'd lost Saha from December, then we lost Mikael Silvestre, Ji-Sung Park, Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic. Three of those players didn’t play again that season.

"Vidic came back against Milan. It was a gamble, one worth taking. Ronaldo was also carrying an ankle injury for that game. We were well short of being full-strength, whereas Milan had rested players and were primed for that game. We were unlucky. This year, if we stay fit we’ll have an better chance."