Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson is expected to change his line up in the club’s Champions League semi final against Schalke, with Wayne Rooney and Fabio set to be rested as they are carrying slight injuries.

The English club go into the second leg 2-0 to the good after goals from Rooney and Ryan Giggs gave them the upper hand in the first meeting in Germany.

Folllowing The Red Devils 1-0 defeat at Arsenal on Sunday, Ferguson’s men are only three points ahead of second placed Chelsea in the Premier League, with the Blues travelling to Old Trafford to take on United this Sunday.

With the important Chelsea clash in the back of his head Ferguson may rest a number of key players to save them for the weekend.

Rooney is sidelined with a tight hamstring, and the England striker will not be risked, which could mean a rare start for Michael Owen or Dimitar Berbatov.

Brazilian full back Fabio suffered a knock in the Arsenal fixture and will also be rested, with the South American hopeful of being fit for Sunday.

Ferguson has also stated that Scotland captian Darren Fletcher will make his comeback from injury after a period of time out of contention.

“Darren [Fletcher] will play part of the game,” Ferguson confirmed. “He has shown great improvement from the reserve game last week and his weight is back to normal. It is just that issue of game time and a little bit more strengthening.”

Schalke meanwhile had a set back in getting to England, as five of their non EU players had not filled out the correct paperwork, which resulted in a two hour delay due to visa issues.

Manchester United Squad: Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Lindegaard, Rafael, O’Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Smalling, Evans, Brown, Evra, Valencia, Scholes, Anderson, Carrick, Fletcher, Gibson, Park, Giggs, Nani, Obertan,  Berbatov, Owen, Hernandez.

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Gareth Mcknight

Latest posts by Gareth Mcknight (see all)

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