Sir Alex: We'll be fresh for final

United's FA Cup final defeat against Chelsea last season remains hurtful at Old Trafford, but Sir Alex Ferguson has promised a very different game when the teams meet in Moscow next Wednesday.

The Reds boss insists the tiredness that dogged United's performance on a dry, uncompromising Wembley pitch last May will not be a factor at the Luzhniki Stadium.

"I think it will be a British affair, but it will be different from the FA Cup final," he said. "I’m absolutely certain of that. We will be fresher, and with that being the case I expect a better performance from us."

Chelsea's approach that day was to stifle and contain United. Then boss Jose Mourinho even asked his players beforehand, 'Do you want to enjoy it during the game or after the game?' and his men chose the latter.

Their style differs very little now Avram Grant is in charge, who still applies the tight, well-organised and physical approach.

"They are the things that you have to come up against," says Ryan Giggs. "Chelsea are a big strong team. They are a hard team to play against because they are so strong defensively.

"Equally so, we're good going forward but I think we're strong in defence, we've proved that this year.

"I don't know if we're going to get an open game, but we'll go out and try to create chances and score goals like we always do."

Sir Alex feels that Grant has already started the mind games with comments in the press about refereeing decisions going United's way in the title race.

"I've been expecting it," said the United boss. "I don't think it's about last Sunday, I think it's about next Wednesday and maybe even next season. I could go on and on about decisions because they're all debatable at the end of the day, we feel we didn't get a lot of decisions this season.

“Maybe when we went to Chelsea we should have been champions before it, but with the season over we can put it on the backburner and now it's about next Wednesday and I think that's why Avram's talking that way.”