Vidic ready for 'Little and Large'

Nemanja Vidic admits the Reds will be up against a somewhat unique strike force at Fratton Park on Monday night when they come face-to-face with Portsmouth's version of 'Little and Large.'

Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch will present a difficult challenge to United's backline, particularly at set-pieces, but Vidic remains confident in the Reds' ability to deal with the threat posed by Pompey's front duo.

"We know all about Crouch and Defoe," he told ManUtd.com. "Crouch is very tall and very good in the air, while Defoe is very quick around the area and can cause you lots of problems.

"We know what quality they possess but we’re confident we can deal with it."

Both sides will be looking to post a first victory of the new campaign after disappointing results on the opening day. Pompey suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat at Chelsea, while United could only manage a 1-1 draw with Newcastle at Old Trafford.

"We started badly and dropped points at home which isn’t what we wanted," admitted Vidic. "But the season is long and we hope we can get the result we want at Portsmouth.

"It’ll be a hard game particularly as Portsmouth lost 4-0 to Chelsea in their first game and will want to prove something against us to the fans.

"But we also need the points and we’re all looking forward to the game and hopefully we can get the result we need."