O'Shea eyes 'special' feat

John O'Shea is excited by the possibility of United becoming the first team to retain the Champions League trophy and insists the Reds are ready for the tests ahead.

United face Aalborg in Denmark tonight looking for a first win of this season's European campaign following the goalless draw at home to Villarreal two weeks ago.

When asked at Monday's pre-match press conference what it would mean to the club to repeat the success of Moscow, O'Shea said: "It’d be very special. It’s a major challenge but facing up to that and responding is what this club is all about.

"As the manager always says, if we’re still in the competition after the group stages, that’s when it really kicks in and when we feel we’re in with a great chance. If you’re playing well and get luck at the right time, it’s yours for the taking and we have to be confident with the squad we have."

While some have tagged Aalborg as minnows and expect United to win comfortably, O'Shea is wary of complacency, especially after the Danes' opening-game draw at Celtic.

"The result they got against Celtic was a real eye-opener for us," the Irishman added. "We saw how competitive and compact they were so we’re going to have to use our experience in keeping the ball away from home, show some composure and try to quieten down the crowd, because it’ll be a great atmosphere."