Juninho: Don't rule us out

Brazilian playmaker Juninho has warned United: "do not rule us out" of the Champions League last 16 tie, despite the Reds snatching a crucial late goal in the first leg.

The French champions are in Manchester on Tuesday with the tie tipped slightly in United's favour after Carlos Tevez's goal earned a 1-1 draw in Lyon two weeks ago.

Lyon appeared headed for victory after Karim Benzema's excellent opening strike just before the hour mark. But Juninho says the Reds would be ill-advised to think the second leg is cut and dry.

"We were disappointed not to win after taking the lead," he tells United Review. "But we knew that, along with Inter Milan, Manchester United were the best team in Europe and have many players who can do you damage.

"Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez – what an attacking line-up! Against a team like United, you have to play perfectly. We nearly did it – but not quite. But the Lyon squad is still calm. The pressure is on United to progress to the quarter finals."

Lyon have been used to battling against the odds in this season's Champions League. After a terrible start to their group campaign, they pulled out all the stops to progress to the knockout stages, a lesson Juninho says could serve them well at Old Trafford.

"We are still in this tie," he says defiantly. "Do not rule us out yet. You need technique and strong characters to win silverware and we have those. We have proved a number of times our capacity to achieve in big matches at stadiums in Glasgow, Stuttgart and Paris."