Rested stars set to return

United's squad should be bolstered by the return of four key players for Wednesday's Champions League clash with Lyon.

Sir Alex Ferguson left Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs and Owen Hargreaves out of Saturday's squad to face Arsenal, and restricted Paul Scholes to a 20-minute runout in the Reds' 4-0 win.

That key quartet should all be in contention to start, however, as United resume their European campaign against the French champions.

"I gave them a rest, although Ronaldo had a bit of a tummy upset," Sir Alex said after Saturday's win. "I was thinking about resting him anyway and perhaps put him on the bench, but when we found out he wasn't well, we decided to give him a complete break.

"The likes of Ryan and Paul Scholes - players with great experience - will play in Lyon on Wednesday. They'll be very important for us."

While United warmed up for Tuesday's trip to France in stunning fashion against Arsenal, Lyon slipped to a shock 1-0 defeat at Le Mans.

Manager Alain Perrin rested several players ahead of United's visit, and the result sees Les Gones' lead at the top of Ligue 1 cut down to just one point. Former Reds defender Laurent Blanc guided his second-placed Bordeaux side to a 6-0 win at Monaco.