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Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Evra has a score to settle

Patrice Evra is determined to avenge losing a Champions League final with Monaco when United head to Moscow next week.

The French full-back is one of five United players with Champions League final experience (Edwin van der Sar, Gary Neville, Owen Hargreaves and Ryan Giggs are the others).

But whereas those four all tasted victory, Evra was a losing finalist as Jose Mourinho's Porto side swept to a 3-0 success in Gelsenkirchen in 2004. Monaco were the 2003/04 surprise package, but this time Evra is far more confident about his chances.

"This will be my second final and for me the game is now the most important of my life," he says. "I don't want to lose for a second time.

"I went to the Champions League Final in a Fiat with Monaco, now I'm going to Moscow in a Ferrari with Manchester United," is the Frenchman's analogy. "But even if you're in a Ferrari, you still have to make sure you drive it well. So we will have to play well against Chelsea if we want to win."

Evra has become an integral part of United's back four in his two-and-a-half seasons at Old Trafford. He's solid in defensive situations and a real outlet going forward. And he'll be doing everything he can to finally get his hands on the elusive European Cup.

"When I first came to Manchester I said I didn't want to just get to a Champions League final again, I wanted to go there and win it," he is quoted as saying in Wednesday's Daily Mirror. "The Champions League holds bad memories for me because of losing that final with Monaco, so now I'm determined to put that right."

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