Deco: Reds fear away goal

Deco feels United will be fearful of Barcelona's attacking capabilities in Tuesday's Champions League semi-final settler at Old Trafford.

A goalless draw in last week's first leg in the Nou Camp means United's aim is simple - win in Manchester. Conversely, Barca know a scoring draw will be enough to take them to Moscow next month.

While the Catalans' form has been far from inspirational, their unquestioned attacking thrust will have nerves jangling in Sir Alex Ferguson's side, according to Barca's Portuguese playmaker.

"The fear is with them now," Deco is quoted as saying in the News of the World. "They know if they concede at home they will have to score twice to win the semi-final. I'm optimistic."

United are widely tipped to adopt a more offensive strategy than in last week's first leg, and Deco is confident that Barca star Lionel Messi will revel in the extra space he will subsequently be afforded.

"In the first leg Messi had a lot of players on top of him when he received the ball, but he still caused problems," said Deco. "Now they have to attack us more and they will not be able to concentrate so much on covering Messi.

"When I saw that Tevez, Rooney and Ronaldo were all starting on Wednesday, I thought they would pressure us high up the pitch. But they defended quite deep and can't do that at home."